PMD - Is It Strange To Want To Stay? (discontinued)
by CcGRocket
Summary: A girl remembers nothing but her name and that she was once human. She wakes up on a beach covered in honey colored fur with red cheeks and a dented tail. The first thing she sees is warm golden eyes. But, how did she end up here. How does she get back and does she even want to? Rated T because I am paranoid.
1. Character Bios

Character Bios

Caee(Catherine)

Gender: Female

Age: 17

Species: Pikachu

Looks: Her fur is darker then the normal golden hue of a  
Pikachu's fur and is instead a light honey. She has fur in a bob cut with bangs on her head in a much darker honey color from the rest of her body. The brown stripes present on most Pikachu's backs are missing from her back. Her eyes are a large, warm dark brown and her cheeks are a darker red then normal. She wears a fuchsia ribbon tied as a bow on her right ear. Her tail has a deeper dent then normal and her ears are longer then a normal Pikachu's. She has an item bag, the strap going over her right shoulder and her left arm rest on the bag. She has a Volt Charm pinned in the middle of her fuchsia ribbon. She has a deep scar on her chest to her stomach and scar on her lower back. Both are covered by fur. She is half blind in her right eye due to another scar.

Personality: Quiet and timid. She has very heavy insecurities she doesn't know of. She unknowingly grabs her tail and holds it before her as to protect herself from the unknown. If she gets insecure enough, she will nom on the dent in her tail, where a silvery scar resides. She is a bit jumpy. She will shock another mon if they sneak up on her. She is vicious about her fear of Pokémon larger then ten feet.

Egg Moves: N/A

-!IAMALINEBREAK!-

Suzuki

Gender: Male

Age: 19

Species: Treecko

Looks: He is taller then most Treecko and he always has a twig with a leaf in his mouth. He has warm gold colored eyes that appear amber in the dark. He wears a blue Zinc Band on his left, upper arm. His snout is shorter then normal and he is slimmer. He has an old family heirloom he wears around his neck. It is a Guardian Ring. He has a scra across his tail and back.

Personality: Calm and collected. He is by no mean the bravest around but he can be brave in a fight. he has several scars on the backs of his legs so he isn't as fast as he should be. He is insecure about his scars so he uses his tail to hide them. He is terrified of Pokémon ten feet or taller. For a good reason.

Egg Moves: N/A

-!IAMALINEBREAK!-

Toge(Togetsumotono)

Gender: Male

Age: 23

Species: Togetic

Looks: Tall with thick, off white feathers. Ruby red triangles and aqua blue triangles mark his body. He has a Happy Stone on a necklace, covered by a simple scarf with his team badge pinned to it. He almost always flies but he is a strong walker.

Personality: Very Quiet. Doesn't speak much. Prankster. Talkative when its about his mother.

Egg Moves: Wish - Heals half health when low and speeds up health regeneration of self.

-Name Unknown-

Gender: Male

Age: 27

Species: Unknown

Looks: Tall. Green and red in coloration. Long, dark green leaf on head. Red eyes.

Personality: Determined. Vicious. Mournful. Strong willed.

Egg Moves: N/A


	2. Prologue

Thunder crashed heavily as he fought to hold on. Her eyes were falling closed as consciousness left her and darkness consumed. He tightened his grip on the woman but he was quickly loosing hold. Her small hand and wrist slipped from his palm, "C-! NOO!"

Lightning covered the name as the woman fell, tumbling away as huge waves tumbled around them, "NOOO!"


	3. The Team

"Talking"

'Moves'

_'Thinking'_

_Flashback_

_Narrator_

She had no idea what was going on. It was dark but the sun was obviously rising. Her partner was nowhere to be seen and pain racked her body when she tried to move, "Agh! Gr-!" Her dark brown eyes fell wide as splitting pain erupted all over. Darkness fell over her again. Her head fell limp and cracked on a nearby stone, leaving a small, bloody patch on her forehead.

Long ears drooped limply as her breathing slowed to that of a blissful slumber.

Meawhile, not far away, a tall, green Pokemon paced to and fro. The Treecko didn't know whether to go on or not. He gathered his courage and stepped onto a large stone that came to his knees. He dropped the short drop down onto a grate.

It was sudden, like a wave in the light, "POKEMON DETECTED! POKEMON DETECTED!" One voice echoed.

Another yelled back, louder if possible, "WHOSE FOOTPRINT!? WHOSE FOOTPRINT!?"

The first voice echoed once more, "THE FOOTPRINT IS TREECKO'S! THE FOOTPRINT IS TREECKO'S!"

"Gah!" Treecko lept of the grate and took off running, "I might be a good battler but I just can't do this! It's far to weird!" He stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the Wigglytuff Tent and looked up, sighing.

"I just can't get the courage to join. I know I'm strong. But...something about joining just scares me so much..." He held up a small stone with a beatifull design on it, "I thought I would gather the courage today but I just can't. I'll keep trying though. If I don't...then I'm only giving up on myself."

With that, he headed towards the beach to think. He didn't notice a Zubat and Koffing float/fly from the shadows in which they hid, "Ya see dat, Zub'?" The Koffing questioned, voice deep and words broken.

"'Ou bet I di', Kof'. Tha' wimp 'ad som't'in go'd did'n 'e?" The Zubat questioned back.

"'Eah. We go'n afte' it?"

"'Ou bet."

Treecko arrived at the beach, bathed in the early morning sunrise. He looked towards the ocean as bubbles wobbled in the air, turning violet, orange, red, blue, and even green as they caught the sunlight, "Uwah~! What a gorgeous sight!" He uttered in awe, and gorgeous was right.

The early morning sun sparkled across the blue ocean waves as they gently slapped the beach sand. Puffy white clouds floated across the sky and turned ginger and gold as they floated by the sun, which turned the sky a rich orange-gold as it rose steadily into the air. Waves splashed up onto nearby rocks and the drops of salt water sparkled in the light. Warm shadows stretched across the rockface and sun dappled it in yellow. The Krabby didn't even take notice as more of their bubbles floated through the air, changing colors as the reflected the light.

"I love when the weather's good like this. The Krabby always come out and blow bubbles when it is... It's always beautiful to see." He muttered as the sky hued pink and violet as the sun fell lower. Silence reigned for a bit, "I always feel happy when watching the sunset." It was evening but still a few hours till the sun set completely.

He turned his head to the side, "Huh?... What's that?" He muttered walking closer to what he saw in the distance. He jumped, afraid for whom he saw laying there, "Wha-! Someone is hurt!" He ran closer and noticed the blood on the figure's head and a nearby stone. He shook the female swiftly, "Wake up! Please?! Are you okay?"

The Pikachu stirred slightly, "Ugh..." She sat up and looked about, rubbing a paw on her aching head, "You're awake! What a relief." The Pikachu turned her head towards the Treecko, regarding him sleepily as she clutched at her dented tail.

"W...where am I?" She muttered.

Treecko smiled, "I was worried when I saw the blood but it just seems to be a small scratch. Do you remember what happened for you to end up unconscious against that stone in the first place?" Treecko asked.

"I was unconscious? I don't remember anything..." She said.

"Oh. Well. I'm glad your alright. I'm Suzuki." Treecko, now known as Suzuki, started, "What's your name? I've not seen you around before."

Pikachu shifted and stood, nearly falling but Suzuki held her up as she steadied herself, "I'm a human.."

Suzuki was shocked, "Eh?! But...but you look like a normal Pikachu to me. If with darker fur." He said, shocked.

The girl walked to a nearby tide pool of water but leapt back, "Eyah! I... I am a Pikachu! But how did that happen?!" She shrieked about as loud as a quiet Pikachu could shriek.

"Are you pulling my tail?" Suzuki asked and she shook her head rapidly, "Alright then. What's your name? I never got it."

"Catherine, but call me Caee." Catherine answered immediately.

"Alright then , Caee. You don't seem to be bad at least. Sorry for doubting you. Many more crooks have been showing up lately and others have gotten alot more aggressive as well. Things have grown somewhat lawless-Gah!" Suzuki was cut off by a Zubat running into him quite harshly.

"Pa'din me!" The Koffing next to the Zubat said.

"Why did you do that!?" Suzuki asked enraged.

"'Cause we wants ta mess wit' ya!" The Zubat said, "That 'ours aint it?" Zubat asked gestering to the small stone on the ground.

"My stone?!" Suzuki said, dashing for his stone but Zubat grabbed it first.

"I 'ate to break it to yas kiddo, but dis 'ere stone is ours now! Follow us if ya wants it back!" He said flying off into the nearby Mystery Dungeon, Beach Cave, Koffing trailing behind. Suzuki followed, "Com'on Caee! I want my stone back!"

Caee hesitated before following the energetic Pokemon. The dungeon was small and easy to navigate. There was never more then two rooms a floor and the stairs were more often then not in the same room. They both battled quite a bit a grew two levels to seven. There were also only four easy floors with only Kabuto, Shellos East Sea Form, Corsala, and Shellder.

Whe they reached the Beach Cave Pit, they came across Koffing and Zubat. They shared a bit of banter before battling. Caee started off with throwing a Blast Seed she'd found at Koffing, doing a fair amount of damage to him before using Thundershock on Zubat and knocking him out of the fight. Suzuki used Absorb on Koffing and the battle was finished.

Zubat threw Suzuki his stone before they fled, leaving Caee and Suzuki to leave on their own. Once outside Suzuki chatted with Caee before he managed to convince her to make an exploration team with him after going through a very reluctant talk with her.

"Are you?" Caee started

"What? Am I what?"

"You're trying to talk me into it..."

Suzuki jumped, "Eh?! Talk you into it? I don't..."

Caee interrupted, "You are!"

"Well...maybe a little."

Caee giggled lightly, voice sounding like a bell, "Don't sound so trodden! Of course I'll join you!"

"Really? All right! Let's make this work!"

Caee decided, even if she didn't like fighting, she would help Suzuki with his dream and they walked towards the Wigglytuff Guild together, ready to make a team...

_**TBC...**__...__...__...__..._

Okay. This story is only a test. There is a chance I won't continue it. If I suddenly stop, don't get mad. I'm wanting to see how writing a story as I play through the game goes. It is hard but fun so far. I loved describing the scene on the beach. Keep coming back for more!


	4. The Guild's New Recruits

"Talking"

'Moves'

_'Thinking'_

_Flashback_

_Narrator Talking_

And so, Suzuki and Caee formed an exploration team. This turned out to be their very first step into many fantastic realms of adeventure that awaited their arrival.

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon**

**Explorers of Sky**

-It is pronounced Kaw-eh! His is pronounced Sue-zoo-kee!-

Caee looked at the huge, Wigglytuff Tent, "So," Began Suzuki, "This is Wigglytuff's Guild. To form an exploration team, you need to register your team here. Then you train until you are a first-rate team."

Caee was a bit intimidated, "Hmmm...I don't know about this... It's a bit frightening."

Suzuki stepped onto the grate and voices shouted, "POKEMON DETECTED! POKEMON DETECTED!"

"WHOSE FOOTPRINT!? WHOSE FOOTPRINT!?"

"THE FOOTPRINT IS TREECKO'S! THE FOOTPRINT IS TREECKO'S!"

"YOU MAY ENTER! SOMEONE'S WITH YOU! SO GET THE STRANGER TO STAND UP THERE!" Suzuki stood off to the side as Caee walked onto the grate with caution, shaking.

"POKEMON DETECTED! POKEMON DETECTED!"

"WHOSE FOOTPRINT!? WHOSE FOOTPRINT!?"

"THE FOOTPRINT IS... THE FOOTPRINT IS... Um..."

"WHAT'S THE MATTER!? SENTRY! SENTRY?! wHAT'S WRONG SENTRY DIGLETT?!"

"UMM... ER... UMM... THE FOOTPRINT IS... MAYBE PIKACHU'S! MAYBE PIKACHU'S!"

"WHAT?! **MAYBE?!**"

"B-BUT... IT'S NOT A FOOTPRINT YOU NORMALLY SEE AROUND HERE..."

"UGH! THAT'S PRETTY CRUMMY! CHECKING THE FOOTPRINTS OF VISITING POKEMON... THAT'S YOUR JOB, **ISN'T** IT, DIGLETT?"

"YES BUT... I DON'T KNOW WHAT I DON'T KNOW."

Sweat drops were present when Caee glanced at Suzuki, "A-are they arguing?" He asked.

"Sorry to make you WAIT. Well... It's TRUE that you don't see any Pikachu in these parts, but you don't SEEM bad... Okay! Good enough! ENTER!"

Caee and Suzuki both sweat dropped as the heavy gate opened and they saw the shadow of a Pokémon vanish. The entered and saw a ladder going down which they used. Pokemon filled the lively area. A Bidoof and Sunflora chatted on one side while they passed a group with a Pidgey, Swellow, Wurmple, and Seedot talking happily. They even saw a Ledyba looking at a bulletin board.

The place was open and warm, they noticed, as they passed a pack of Poochyena preparing to leave. Grass grew everywhere and there were windows showing the sky despite being underground. A little desk off to the right had a pretty Chimecho manning it and there were two boards up on the walls. A second ladder led down somewhere else.

"I wonder if they are all exploration teams..." Suzuki muttered.

"Excuse me!" A Chatot came up to them, "It was you two that just came in, right?" He asked.

Suzuki and Caee nodded, "I'm Cher!~ I'm the Pokémon in the know around these parts! I'm Guildmaster Wigglytuff's right-hand Pokémon!~" He practically sang, "Now shoo! Leave the premises! We have no time for salesmon or silly surveys. Off you go please."

He was polite but that was still rude, "N-no!" Suzuki stopped the bird, "That's not why we're here! We want to form an exploration team... That's why we came. We want to be trained as an exploration team."

Cher looked shocked, "EH?! Exploration Team?!"

The Chatot turned away and muttered to himself, though the two young mons still heard him, "It's rare to see kids like this want to apprentice at the guild. Especially given how hard our training is! Surely the steady stream of Pokémon that run away from our rigorous training proves how true that is?!"

Suzuki gave a dead pan look and tone, "Excuse me... Is the exploration team training really that severe?"

"SQUAWK! No! No, no, no!" The Chatot squalled frantically, flapping his wings, "It's not true in the slightest! Our training program for exploration teams is as easy as can be!" He stopped flapping about and settled, seeming to dance in place, "Well, well, well!~" He sang, "I wish you had told me up front that you wanted to be an eploration team!~ Hee-heeee!~"

Caee and Suzuki sweat dropped and the Treecko lent over and whispered into the Pikachu's ear, "...His attitude suddenly changed didn't it?..." Caee nodded.

"Let's get your team sighed up! Please follow me!~" The bird hopped off down the second ladder, leaving Caee and Suzuki to follow after. He told them around the second floor, "This is the guild's second ground floor. This is where the apprentices work most of the time. The registration is this way. Please follow me."

He hopped off towards a door with a red print that looked like a Wigglytuff's hair tuft. Chatot turned to the wooden door, "Guildmaster! It's Cher!~ I'm coming in!" The door opened and they walked up to a Wigglytuff whose back was to them, "Guildmaster. I present you two Pokemon that wish to join our guild as apprentices!..."

Silence..., "Guildmaster?... um... Guildmaster?!"

"Hiya!" The Wigglytuff shouted happily, turning about and stunning the calm Chatot while Caee squeaked and fell onto her rear, clutching her tail again.

"I'm J but I'm normally called Wigglytuff!" He cheerfully stated, "You want to form an exploration team? Then let's go for it! First you must register your team name! What is your team name?"

Suzuki looked at Caee, whom was still clutching her tail and was now chewing on the dent, "I'm sure Caee knows it!" He said, hoping to get her to stop chewing her tail.

The Pikachu jumped, ears pressing against her skull as she shrank into her thick fur, "NightLight!" She blurted, looking into J's blue eyes as he smiled.

"All settled then. I'll register your team as NightLight!" Wigglytuff said cheerfully. He scribbled their team name down, "Registered! YOOM...TAH! Congratulations! You are now an exploration team! I present you with this commemoration."

Wigglytuff set a little gold box in front of the two mon, "This box holds all you'll need to get started! Open it!" He said, almost bouncing.

Caee opened the box and found a bag which Caee tossed over her head with a Wonder Map and badges for both of them. The badges were white with a pink spot and a line running through it. There was also little white wings on the badge.

"The treasure bag will get bigger as you go up rank and complete more missions. The badge will change depending on your rank as well. The map is so you know were you are. Look inside the bag."

The bag contained a little fuschia ribbon that Suzuki tied to Caee's right ear, making her fuzzy cheeks flush lightly as her dented tail waved behind her. There was also a Zinc Band that Caee tied to Suzuki's left upper arm, face still a little flushed, "Those items used to be mine. I do hope they will help you on you adventure!"

Caee flushed before hugging the kind Wigglytuff, "Thank you..." Came her whispered voice as her ears stayed down. She hugged her tail close as she stood next to Suzuki again.

Wigglytuff smiled, "It's no problem! I just had a really good feeling about you two! But right now, your only apprentices. So train to become better!"

Chatot showed them to their room at the end of the hall, which the enjoyed. The room was really warm, something Caee enjoyed but would never tell. Caee poked her soft bed while Chatot explained some things to Suzuki.

Thoughts ran rampent in Caee's head as she heard Chatot say something about being busy, _'How did I end up here? The last thing I remember is a suffocating darkness and water filling my lungs... Then pain... I feel pain trying to remember anything... What happened?'_

"Goodnight!" Caee snapped from her thoughts and bid Chatot a goodnight with Suzuki. That night as Caee was trying to sleep, Suzuki was talking happily and sleepily about being being glad to be there. Caee fell asleep to his warm, soothing voice, snuggling deeper into the warm bed, tail clutched in her paws.

_Exploration Team_

_Quick Tip!_

_You can save and record your progress by climbing onto your bed from now on._

_So whenever you want to save your progress, just climb onto your bed._

_The next morning..._

"HEY! HEY THERE! RISE AND SHINE!"

**CRASH! THUMP! BANG!** Groan...

Caee opened her eyes and saw a dizzy Suzuki groaning on the ground. While the large purple Pokémon talking was loud, the sound was muffled to Caee. She lifted her ears slightly to hear better as she stretched leisurely, "Why are you still ASLEEP?!" Caee snapped her ears down to muffle the loud noise blissfully.

"C'mon! Get up! I'm Lance and I'm a fellow apprentice! If your late for our morning briefing the you'll be SORRY! So MOVE it! Guildmaster Wigglytuff has got a BIG temper. If you make him lose it...YOWEEE! That would be one very scary scene! Get up and hurry! Don't be late!"

Caee got up and looked about the room, finally remembering where she was as she lifted her ears a bit to hear but still muffle things. Why was her hearing so much more sensative now? Suzuki tripped on the way to the room's door as he was still dizzy. He would have to learn to muffle things he heard. It would come in handy.

They rushed out and to the morning assembly, "Your late rookies!" Lance the Loudred shouted.

"Hush!" Chatot spoke up, "Your voice is ridiculously loud! Now. Everyone seems to be present." Caee glanced around, noting the huge amount of Pokémon crowded around, "Very well!~ Let us conduct our morning address. Guildmaster!~ The guild is in full attendance!~"

Wigglytuff stepped out though his eyes seemed a bit dim, "Thank you, Guildmaster!~ Please address the crew." Soft snores came from Wigglytuff as everyone started whispering about him sleeping and Chatot nearly panicked, "Thank you, sir! We all value your...words of wisdom!~ Okay Pokémon!~ Take our Guildmaster's words of wisdom to heart!~ Finally, let's not forget our morning cheers! All together now!~"

It was like a roar as all the Pokémon spoke at once, "A ONE, A TWO...A ONE-TWO-THREE! ONE! DON'T SHIRK WORK! TWO! RUN AWAY AND PAY! THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!" Suzuki and Caee grinned as Chatot spoke up, "Okay, Pokémon! Get to work!~" "HOORAY!" And they scattered, either staying down and cleaning or chatting about their next mission, or going upstairs and even back to bedrooms if they stayed up late doing missions.

Caee and Suzuki wondered around wondering what to do, "Hey, you shouldn't just be wandering around here. You two come here!~" And they followed Chatot up the ladder, "You're just beginners." Chatot started when they stood before a bulletin board on the far left of the upper room, "We'll have you start off with this assignment!~ This is the Job Bulletin Board." Chatot gestered to the board, "Pokémon from various regions post job request here. You're aware that bad Pokémon are cropping up in greater numbers, right?"

Caee and Suzuki both nodded, "Yeah. The flow of time is getting messed up. It's wreaking havoc, right? Which is why loads of bad Pokemon are appearing." Suzuki said and Caee tilted head, wondering why.

Chatot nodded, "Precisely. Time getting out of whack has caused an outbreak of bad Pokémon. Perhaps because of all of that... We have noticed an increase in the number of jobs. In addition...and it's unknown if this is because of time's influence... There has also been a mass outbreak of...Mystery Dungeons."

Caee tilted her head again and snatched her tail around her front, "Mystery Dungeons?"

Suzuki turned to Caee, "So, Caee! You know how we got back my Relic Fragment back yesterday?" Caee nodded, "The place where we found it was a Mystery Dungeon. A Mystery Dungeon changes each time you go into it, There's a different layout and different items every time you enter! If you faint in the middle of a dungeon, you lose half of your money... You can even lose half you items or more... Finally, you get kicked right out. They're very strange places. Unless your a high level, I recamend never entering one alone."

Caee nodded. The lengthy talk was interesting of course but Chatot squawked, drawing their attention, "Well! You're quite informed, aren't you!~ That makes things much easier for me to explain!~ Jobs all take place in Mystery Dungeons. So..let's look for a job that you should perform!~ Ah, yes!~ Maybe this will do?"

"Sure. Let's read it." Suzuki held the paper and read it aloud, "'Hello! I'm Spon the Spoink. An outlaw has run off with my most prized possession. My precious pearl! That pearl is life itself...to me! I just can't settle down if that pearl isn't in its proper place atop my head! But I've heard my pearl has been sighted! It's said to be on a rocky bluff. But this bluff is reported to be extremely unsafe. I could never go somewhere so frightening! Oh, friendly readers! Would you be so kind as to go to the and get my pearl? I beg your help, exploration team members! From, Spon."

Suzuki passed, "Wait a second...Why do we have to fetch a dropped item!? Not that it isn't bad but I was kind of hoping to explore somewhere first."

Chatot sighed, "It's important that you rookies practice by doing easy missions and to pay your dues. Now pay attention. I'll repeat the warnings again to make sure they stick. You'll be forced out of a dungeon and sent back if either of you faints. You'll lose half your money. And you could lose half your items or more. You'd best be careful. If you've understood all that, I suggest you get on with the job!~"

Caee and Suzuki nodded, grins on their faces, "Alright!"

~!Timeskip!~

Caee and Suzuki, after some traveling reached a rocky area. Boulders everywhere with moss growing on everything, making for a fluffy ground, "This must be the bluff's entrance..." A tired Suzuki said. They had wondered into the wrong Mystery Dungeon five times and had grown a level, nearly two, each as such, and they were tired, "Spoink's mission stated that it was either before or after the seventh floor. Let's us finish this quickly so we can get back and rest..."

Caee nodded and they entered the bluff. Caee found an apple on the ground while in the dungeon with a Pecha Berry. She also found several odd coins and a 'Max Elixir'. She even found an Oren Berry which harms instead of healing, unlike an Oran Berry.

_Eating an Apple or Gummi fills your Belly. Eat one if your about to faint from hunger. To do so, find it under Items, then select Eat._

_Poke is this worlds money. Save it to by items from the shop._

_Max Elixir fully restores a Pokemon's Power Points (PP). To use it, open the menu with 'X', select it from Items, then select Ingest._

_A Pecha Berry heals Poisoned or Badly Poisoned Pokemon. Open the menu with 'X', select it in the Items inventory, then select Eat._

They finally made it to the end of the dungeon, gaining another level on the way. At the top, they saw a large pink pearl, glistening in a pool of water. It was bigger then both of Caee's palms combined. Caee picked up the surprisingly light pearl and they headed back to the guild.

~!Timeskip!~

Back at the guild, "Th-thank you!" A little pig-like creature thanked, bouncing on his curly tail, waving little arms about as the pink pearl sat on his head between his ears, sparkling, "That pearl must be propped on my head, you see. I missed it so much. I just couldn't settle down without it up there! So I was just boinging and sproinging everywhere! That's why I'm covered in dings and bumps. But thanks to you, that long nightmare is over! You have my sincere thanks!"

The Spoink awarded Caee and Suzuki with a Protein, Calcium, Iron and 2,000 Poké. Suzuki was shocked, Caee... Not so much, "Wow! All this for us!?"

Spoink smiled, "Of course! Of course! That's nothing compared to my pearl's value! Farewell!" And he hopped off. Chatot, of course, took the money, again shocking Suzuki but not Caee, and took most of it to fund the guild, leaving the two ten percent, or 200 Poké. Still alot.

Later, it was dinner time and a Chimecho named Mary called them to come eat. The food was tasty, Sweet like how Caee liked it and Spicy like Suzuki liked it. After dinner, Caee lay in her bed wide awake while Suzuki snoozed on, "Boy...today was great. I wasn't surprised like Suzuki about the money. How else would they get the money for the guild if not from jobs that members do. Still. I wonder why Suzuki was so upset about the money...It was no big deal. We can probably make that amount back soon enough..."

Caee fell asleep to Suzuki's soothing breaths, tucking her ears down and her tail tucked in her paws as she curled into a ball, wondering about the watery darkness she remembered.

TBC...

**(A/N Again, this story is dialog heavy and description heavy. Most of the conversations are directly from PMDEOS! I do not own Pokemon but by Arceus I wish I did! Be warned, the story and dialog will be heavily edited in later chapters due to gore not present in the actual games! I'm begging you, don't hate me for life! Please!)**


	5. The Scream

**Crash, Boom, KA-BOOM!**

"Talking"

'Moves'

_'Thinking'_

_Flashback_

_Narrator Talking_

_The Next Morning..._

"Up and at 'em! It's morning!" Caee woke to Suzuki crashing onto the ground as Loudred woke them up.

"Morning Caee..." A dizzy Suzuki said. They left the rooms to the guild assembly once again...

"AND...THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!" "Okay Pokémon!~ Time to get to work!~" Everyone scattered, though Caee and Suzuki still didn't know what to do.

Caee's tail waved behind her when Chatot called, "Oh, you two! Still wandering around lost, it seems. Well, come with me."

Caee and Suzuki followed Chatot up the ladder and towards a bulletin board on the other side of the room, "Who are these Pokémon?" Caee asked the larger bird, "They don't look to friendly..." The board was covered in pictures of Pokémon, sometimes the same species, sometimes not, and the papers all said they were wanted.

"Yeah. Who are they. Last time, we did a job on from the other board." Suzuki pointed out.

"Correct!~" Chatot sang, "Today, we'll have you do a job listed on this side!~"

Caee tilted her head and perked her ears, "Are they criminals? The posters all say that they are wanted..."

Chatot fluttered his wings cheerfully, "Correct in one!~ The Pokémon posted here...are outlaws. They are wanted for crimes from harming a childe to needing to pay up for a stolen item, they are all outlaws. The ones wanted for harming a childe are much to dangerous for you rookies at the moment, so you'll have to go after thieves in the mean time. Because of the high amount of aggressive Pokémon these days, most find it hard to take care of the problem, so you exploration teams are called in to take care of it. They even have Rescue Teams go in to help, though they are from other regions. If you ever run into a team with color coded scarves, don't attack. They are Rescue Teams. The most famous teams are Rescue Team Red and Blue. They wear red and blue scarves and they will help you if you need it."

Caee nodded and smiled, her tail flicked in the air behind her, "Be careful of who we attack. Color coded teams are normally Rescue Teams that will help. I take it they have badges pinned to their scarves?"

Chatot nodded, "Of course. I want you to be safe if you ever go after an outlaw though. If you get injured, you can't do work for one. You will also have us all worried sick! I want you to look at these posters and choose a mild job with a weak outlaw to take care of! I also want you to prepare before. If you are scared, taking care of weak criminals will build up your courage no problem! I remember being frightened of everything when I was young. I got into trouble more times then I can count and had to be helped out of a Mystery Dungeon by a Rescue Team or an Exploration Team. But right now, you don't know the town that well so I'll have someone show you around so you can prepare."

Chatot turned to the ladders and called, "Hey! Bidin! Bidin?!"

"Yup yup!" A Bidoof appeared climbing the ladder and getting onto the floor, "You called?"

Chatot bobbed his head, "Ah, Bidin!~ These are the new recruits that just joined us. Take them and show them around the town!~"

"Yes sirree! By golly, I'll do just that! Yup yup!"

Chatot turned to NightLight, "This is Bidin. He's one of your fellow apprentices. I want you to pay attention to what he has to say and follow his orders. Off you go!~" And he flew off.

"Aw, shucks, I'm overjoyed!" Bidoof stated.

"Why's that?" Questioned Suzuki.

"I'm glad to have members junior to me! I'm almost overcome...I might just blubber with happiness! Before you all signed on, I was the most recent rookie... Well, I'd best show you around. Come with me please."

The team was led down the ladder again and Bidoof explained the lowest floor, "First things first!" He gestured to an odd, stone stand with a couldron and a frog-like Pokémon, "Here, we have Sani the Croagunk... But to tell the truth, I don't have any idea what that Pokémon's up to... He always seems to be fiddling around with that big cauldron back there. It's all a mystery to me! Yup yup!"

He continued on to anther hall we had been in tree times by now, "Over this way's the mess hall." He gestered to the dorms, "And if you all look that way, you'll find the crew rooms." He gestered to the last door, "And this here leads to the Guildmaster's Chamber. Next, I'll guide you both around places outside the guild."

Bidoof led them up both ladders, out the tent, and down the steps. They passed a well and stopped at the entrance to town, "This is the Town's entrance." He explained

_A record of your progress can be made at the well in Explorers of Sky only. Just press 'A' before the well and save. It is quicker and more time saving then running to your bed to save every time. Save frequently to keep from loosing data._

Bidoof led them into town and onto a large, round are of stone, "This is the main square for the local Pokémon... It's called Treasure Town." The town was warm and cheerful. Pokémon at every corner, chatting or walking about. Homes were down a path in a small woodland. All the homes were in the trees, making for a fun town. Most buildings were colorful and a joined home for the owner of a stall.

Suzuki jumped, "I can explain the stalls and places in Treasure Town to Caee. I have a home close by after all." Suzuki gestered to a Duskull at a building with a sign reading 'Bank', "That over there is Duskull Bank. We can save money there, though Duskull is a bit creepy. I don't know his name because everyone just calls him 'Blank'." Suzuki gestured to an empty stall, "And that over there is the Electivire Link Shop. That's where you can do things like link moves together, but... It looks as if Electivire isn't here today. Mr. E is really friendly so I'm sure you'll love him Caee."

He turned to the bridge, "Across the bridge is Kecleon Market. You can buy and sell items there. The shop is run by two brother's. The purple Kecleon is, Nou, and the green one is, Shou. They are friendly and pranksters. Next is Kangaskhan Storage, run by Mrs. Khanga and her young son Jerald. Items stored there will never be lost. If you have precious items that you can't afford to lose, store them here before you go on an adventure. And those are the basic places that exploration teams vist. There is also Marowak Dojo, a place for training, run by Mr. Wak, but the place collapsed a year ago and is currently being rebuilt. A new building also just opened. Ms. Chance's Chansey Care. Eggs are left with her to hatch when a team can't care for it. The young often join the exploration teams. There is also Xatu's Appraisal but they aren't open yet. Sometimes you find chests in Mystery Dungeons and Xatu will open them for you."

Suzuki turned back to us, "Sorry if that was to lengthy of an explanation, Bidin."

Bidoof smiled, "Not at all. I would have explained the same, just with a bit less detail. Come find me at the guild when you're ready to choose an outlaw to take on. I'll give you a helping hand." And Bidoof walked off, leaving Team NightLight to prepare.

"Let's go to Kecleon Market first Caee. I would like to see what they have, and our bag is a bit full so let's stop by the storage. Lastly, we will visit the bank to drop off extra money." Caee nodded and off they went.

Caee and Suzuki walked up to Shou first, "Can we look at your wares?" She asked. The Kecleon nodded, "Sure!" There were a few items, but Caee was planning on selling a couple seeds and the Oren Berry she found so she would be able to buy the Black Gummi easily, "Thank you!" She said, quite happy, "Please come again!~" Shou sang.

"Misters Kecleon!" Suzuki and Caee turned to see a blue, round Pokémon walk up to them, a smaller of the same with him. The larger had a blue ball at the end of his thin, jagged black tail with large blue ears, colored red inside. His eyes were a bright green and his stomach white. The smaller, and younger, of the two was adorable. His ears were rather big and rounded and his legs were smaller, causing him to bounce to get around. His tail was like the elders, but the blue ball at the end was as big as his body. His eyes a beautiful grey and his white cheeks rosy.

Nou and Shou smiled at the children, "Ah!" Spoke Shou, "Little Shon and Shun!" Finished Nou, "Welcome my young friends!"

Shun the Azurill, the younger of the two spoke up, "Hello. May I buy an Apple?" He asked, his squeaky voice adorable.

Shou spoke up, "Oh, most certainly!" Shon the Marill took the bag holding the Apple as Azurill had no arms.

"Thank you, Misters Kecleon!" Marill said after giving the two brothers the money owed.

"No, thank you, my young friends! You are to be admired!~" The two children walked off to go home and Shou spoke again, "You see, those delightful children are brothers. Lately, their poor mother has fallen sick. So those youngsters come out and do the shopping for her. It's quite remarkable. Though very young, they've stepped up and taken charge!~"

"Misters Kecleon!" Marill called, running back, his little brother tailing him.

"Oh? What's the hurry? What makes you return in such a rush?" Nou asked.

Azurill spoke up this time, "There was an extra Apple!"

Marill held up the Apple, "We didn't pay for this many."

Shou chuckled, "Oh, yes... That, young friends, is a gift from me and my brother. Please share it among yourselves and do enjoy."

"Really?!" Marill asked. Azurill cheered, "Yay! Thank you Mr. Shou and Mr. Nou!"

"Not to worry, my friends. Do take care on your way home!~" And the brothers left but Azurill tripped.

"Yowch!" The extra Apple rolled the Caee's feet and she picked it up, "W-we're sorry to bother you. Thank you so much." Azurill thanked.

Caee handed the Apple to Azurill, whom curled his tail around it to hold it. His tail brushed Caee's paw and everything flickered, getting darker for a moment, _'What was that?'_ she thought. The world flickered again, _'I feel dizzy...'_

Her vision went dark before a streak of white flew across, the center pinging and everything becoming a blinding white and she heard a voice, "H-h-h...HELP!" It screamed. The white flashed and faded to darkness before vision returned to Caee.

_'W-what was that?!'_ She thought, glancing around in panic, _'I'm sure I heard someone cry for help...but why is nobody reacting?'_ Caee glanced at Azurill, _'That sounded like him but why would he scream?'_

Azurill blinked up at Caee, "Is something the matter?" Caee shook her head.

"Hey, Shun! What's going on? Hurry home!" Marill called.

"I'm coming! Wait up!" And Azurill took off, but not before thanking Caee one more time.

"Are you alright?" Marill asked as they walked away.

"Yup!"

"We're done with our shopping... Now we've gotta find your lost item. Let's get going!" And they left.

"Those little guys are so cute!" Suzuki commented, "Caee? What's wrong."

Caee turned to him, "Didn't you hear that scream just now?"

"No... I didn't. Did you hear a scream Shou, Nou?"

The Kecleon glanced about, "No. We didn't. I'm sorry."

Suzuki sighed, "You must have imagined it Caee..."

Caee sighed and nodded, _'I know I didn't imagine Shun screaming. Why would I?'_

"Let's finish up here Caee!" Suzuki said and they went about their buisness.

As they were walking to the bank, they stopped, seeing the children from before, talking to an, admittedly, kind of scary Drowzee.

"What's going on over there?" Suzuki asked himself.

"Yaaay!" Azurill cheered, "Thank you!" Marill said.

"Please! It's nothing." The Drowzee chuckled.

"What's going on?" Caee questioned, childish curiosity peeking through. The Drowzee threw her an odd look that had her on edge, _'Why is this Drowzee looking between me and Shun? Shun is a little smaller then me and we are both young... I'm only a year older then Shun, too. So what about this makes me feel uneasy? Is it the Drowzee's odd interest in us?'_ She thought, holding her tail and chewing at the scar on its dent.

"Oh! Hi!" Azurill spoke up.

"Some time ago, we lost an item that's pretty important to us... We've been looking all over...But we haven't found it yet! Then Mr. Zee came along... And he says he may have seen our lost item somewhere! He even offered to help us look for it. We're so happy about this!" Marill explained before taking a deep breath.

"That's great!" Suzuki said happily.

"Thank you Mr. Zee!" Azurill sang.

"Oh, please... I'd have to have a cold heart to ignore kids in need! I can't turn a blind eye! Let us be on our way to begin our search!" Drowzee said. As they were walking away, Drowzee's shoulder rammed into Caee, knocking her over, "Whoops! Excuse me." He said, walking off.

_'Ugh... Dizzy again?'_ Caee thought as everything flickered.

"That Drowzee is pretty kind, if a bit rude." Suzuki said, "It's hard to find good Pokémon nowadays."

Everything flickered, went dark and the same pining flash of light happened again. This Caee saw something. A scared Azurill shaking before Drowzee.

_"If you keep being difficult, it will mean big trouble for you!" Drowzee treatened._

_Azurill was crying as he screamed, "H-h-h...HELP!"_

Everything faded back to normal as Caee shook herself, "It would be great if they found their item soon." Suzuki said. Suzuki saw Caee's shrunken pupils and terrified look, "Caee?! What's wrong!" He asked, "Com'on."

He dragged Caee to a secluded spot, "What's wrong." He asked to frozen Pikachu.

"Shun is in trouble! Drowzee is not a good Pokémon! He means him harm!" Caee blurted, tears welling in her eyes.

"You describe it like an emergency but we can't go. If Drowzee is an outlaw, we will see him on the bulletin board and go after him. Alright?" Caee nodded, saddened as she gave Duskull their money to be stored before heading back to the guild.

"We're ready!" Suzuki called to Biddof when they appeared.

"Well. Let's take a look-" Bidoof was cut off by a siren, "Stand clear! Updating listings!" A voice bellowed.

There was a rumble and the board suddenly flipped around, "Don't worry," Biddof reasshured, "The board is just being updated."

"Updated?" Caee asked.

"The Outlaw Notice Board and Job Bulletin Board are set up on revolving panels. While the panel is flipped over... A Dugtrio named Shamu swaps out the old jobs with new ones. Updating is Shamu's duty. He tunnels his way to our guild, then he flips the panel and updates the data. This duty dosen't get noticed much, but it's very important! Yup yup! That's why Shamu takes such great pride in the duty he does!"

"That's pretty cool!" Suzuki said.

"Updating complete! Stand clear!"

The panel flipped back around and Caee and Suzuki froze, looking in the upper left corner, "Caee? Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Suzuki asked, voice trembling.

"Yeah. I see it..." Up in the upper left corner was a wanted poster for Drowzee.

"You were right! We have to get moving! Shun will be in danger!" They took off leaving Bidoof wondering what was going on. They rushed outside and saw a worried and frazzeled Marill, "Shon! Where's Shun!"

"Shun... I lost him and Mr. Zee somewhere! I'm worried! Please find Shun!" Marill begged. He was sobbing, "I think they went into Mt. Bristle! I can't follow them! I'm not strong enough!"

Caee and Suzuki nodded rishing into the Mystery Dungeon. The dungeon was a tiring and long nine floors plus the peak. There were many rooms and stairs took forever to find. When they reached the peak, they stopped Drowzee from harming Azurill, "Stop right there!"

Azurill hid behind a rocky cropping close by, "Alright. I'll let the brat go with the Treecko if the Pikachu does as I say." Drowzee stated, a sneer on his face.

"No way!" Caee shouted, "We'll see what you say after we beat you into the ground!"

Caee paralyzed the outlaw with Thunder Wave and Suzuki and her traded between Thundershock and Absorb to defeat him. He hit Caee with a Confusion but she blocked with a Thunder Wave to paralyze him again and the move trading started once more before the criminal was defeated and Azurill safe.

"Are you alright Shun?" Caee asked the Azurill after he talked her into a hug, tail wrapped around her own.

"I'm fine. Thank you!" He thanked.

"Let's get you to your brother now, Shun." Caee whispered gentley before carrieing the little Pokemon away, dragging Drowzee with them after he was tied up. They met up with a Magnezone and two Magnemite outside the dungeon, "ZZZT! I am officer Magnezone, the primary officer in this region! ZZZT! ZZZT! Thanks to you... We have been able to arrest a wanted outlaw! ZZZT! ZZZT! We owe you great thanks for your cooperation! ZZZT! ZZZT! We will send the reward to your guild! ZZZT!"

Magnezone went off, the Magnemite holding Drowzee following after him. Marill walked up and Azurill lept from Caee's arms, crying, "Big brother! Wahh! It was so scary!"

"Are you okay, Shun?"

"He's fine. He wasen't hurt in the slightest." Caee said.

Shon smiled, "Thank you for helping him! Please be more careful next time Shon. Thank you again. Now. Let's go home."

_A message from the Exploration Team Federation!_

_Caee's team was rewarded with an enlarged Treasure Bag! You can now carry more items then before. Wait... There's one more message. The Special Episode 'Bidoof's Wish' has been unlocked! To play a Special Episode, select it from the Episode List on the Main Menu. If you would like to play the Special Episode, save your adventure progress, and return to the Main Menu._

~!Timeskip!~

Later that night, after dinner, Caee was wide awake in her bed, a heavy storm raging outside. Again, Caee had not been surprised to only recieve ten percent of the money from the job.

"You know Caee, a week ago, when I met you, a storm like this blew in the night before." Suzuki said, laying in his bed, "I know you can't remember anything but I'm curious as to what happened to you."

Suzuki sighed, "Listen, Caee. Maybe that strange dream you had had to do you you personally. It's just a feeling. You know. Time is getting messed up bit by bit all over the world. No one seems to know why. But everyone believes the Time Gears are somehow involved. They say Time Gears are hidden in secret places around the world. Like in a forest. Or at a lake in an underground cavern... I've even heard that there is a hidden altar inside a volcano. At the center of such places is what's known as a Time Gear. Time Gears serve a very important function. Each one protects time and keeps time flowing properly in its region."

In a forest somewhere, lightning flash and a figure ran through the rain, "But... what happens if a region loses its Time Gear? I don't really know the answer to that question." The figure dashed by on a path again, "But my guess is that if a Time Gear is removed from a region," The figure walked into a glowing circle, where a Time Gear was and stopped, "The flow of time in that region will probably stop too." The figure walked closer to the gear, "That's why everyone makes sure never to disturb the Time Gears. Everyone has long been certain that some kind of disaster would strike. So everyone stays away from the Time Gears and doesn't tamper with them. Even the most hardened criminal Pokemon know to avoid messing with them."

The figure spoke, "Do my eyes decieve me? Could it be...? Yes, it is!" Lightning flashed, illuminating the figure briefly, showing off red and green colors, "I've finally found it! A Time Gear! But...this is only the first of many..." The lightning flashed several more times...

TBC...

**(A/N I can't wait to post the next part though it will be filler. To clarify, a childe and mon are what Pokémon children are called. From newly hatched to twenty years of age a Pokémon is a childe. Younglings are precious to Pokémon, so it is a crime to harm one outside of training. Adults try to as gentle as possible to them, but sometimes, they are just a little to harsh.)**


	6. The First Official Exploration

**Crash, Boom, KA-BOOM!**

"Talking"

'Moves'

_'Thinking'_

_Flashback_

_Narrator Talking_

_Congragulations! Team NightLight went up in rank from the Normal Rank to the Bronze Rank! The number of items that can be kept in storage increase from 64 to 96. For advancing in rank, the team was awarded one Sitrus Berry!_

_The next morning..._

"AND...THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!" "Okay, Pokémon!~ Time to get to work!~" "HOORAY!"

Caee yawned, still a bit sleepy, "Ah, you two!~" Chatot called, "Let me give you your assignment for today... Look up jobs on the Job Bulletin Board and the Outlaw Notice Board. Do the listed jobs. That will do for today!~"

_Team NightLight spent the next few days doing missions like this, even doing gate keeping one day until one morning..._

"Ahem," Chatot cleared his throaght, "I have an important announcment to make, everyone listen up! Far to the northeast, then further to its outermost reaches... There lies a places named Treeshroud Forest...In Treeshroud Forest... Time has apparently stopped..."

"What!" Everyone cried, "Time stopped?!"

"Yes, that's correct..." Chatot stated, "Time has come to a standstill in Treeshroud Forest...The wind has stopped...The clouds are motionless...Dewdrops on leaves won't fall... They just hang there, suspended. In Treeshroud Forest, time itself has truly stopped."

"I can't believe time has stopped..." This shocked most more. Most of the Pokémon have never heard Caee speak before so they listened, "Why would this happen? I always thought time would keep moving!... Don't tell me-!"

Chatot sighed, "Yes, the unthinkable has happened. Why has time stopped in Treeshroud Forest? Well, it's because Treeshroud Forest's Time Gear was... Stolen!" Everyone lept up in shock.

"I can't believe it!" Chimecho's sweet voice cried, distress filling it, "Why would ANYONE take a Time Gear?!"

"Officer Magnezone has already started an investigation. It's hard to believe anyone would dare steal a Time Gear. But if one Time Gear can be stolen, the others may also be in danger. The officer has to be notified immediately if we notice any suspicious characters. So keep that in mind. Let us know if you notice anything. That is all. All right, everyone! Here's to another busy day of work!~"

Everyone went off when Chatot called NightLight, "Oh, you there. You two, come here. You've become quite good at your work. I'm impressed with your capture of Drowzee. That was very admirable!~ So! You will finally be assigned a mission worthy of a proper exploration team. Let me see your Wonder Map." Caee pulled the map from her bag and handed it to Chatot, "Treasure Town is here." Chatot pointed to a yellow marked area, "And...over here is where we would like you to investigate." Chatot pointed to a large waterfall on the map, marking it, "By all appearances, it's just an ordinary waterfall. But we've recieved intelligence that the waterfall may conceal a secret. And that's where you come in. We want you lot to investigate the waterfall and determine what's there."

Caee put the map away and Chatot finished speaking, "That's all. Do you understand what this mission entails?"

Caee and Suzuki nodded, "Understood!"

"Good!~ All right, I'll leave you to investigate the waterfall!~"

"Right!" And the team was off, preparing and heading to the water.

Before they left though, Mary the Chimecho called them over, "Oh! Caee and Suzuki too!" They went towards the pretty Pokemon and looked up into her warm, kind blue eyes, "I just started an assembly here. Today, in fact. Because of this, you can now recruit Pokemon to join you if they so wish."

Suzuki smiled, "That's so cool!" He uttered, gold eyes shining in happieness.

"Right. Now off you kids go! I'm sure you have jobs to finish!" Chimecho shooed tem away with a smile and they left to the waterfall finally. The waterfall fell with a heavy roar, and they had to speak loudly to hear over it.

"How do we get past it? There's no path..." Suzuki muttered. He ran at the fall and got knowcked back harshly, "Ow!"

Caee sighed, "The water is to heavy." She muttered, letting the spray hit her paw. Dizziness overcame her once again and everything went dark with a flash. Caee saw a shadowed, familier figure walking from the waterfall in the cover of night, before it ran at the falls. It fell through and landed in a hidden cave before continueing on. Everything faded to normal.

"Suzuki?" He glanced at her, "We should run at the falls. There is a hidden cave."

Suzuki jumped, "Run at it! But it could kill us!"

"Just trust me! Please?" She asked.

He sighed, unable to resist his cute partner, "Fine. On the count of three. One," They backed up, "Two," They tensed, "THREE!" They ran, and like the figure, ended up behind the falls, if a little bruised from the water and harsh landing.

Caee rubbed her aching tail and Suzuki rubbed his arm, "Ow..." Caee muttered, "Now. Let's go!" And she ran ahead, leaving Suzuki to catch up.

"Ah! Caee! Slow down!" And he followed. The cave was eight, long, dark, wet floors of no fun. A Tangela, named Tangled, and a Surskit, named Skit, joined the team along the way. A Lotad, named Tadpole, joined around the third floor along with a Barboach named Whiskers. On the fifth floor, a Wooper named Mason joined as well.

When they proceded to the end, they came across a room filled with gems of all colors that reflected light of all colors around surounded by a small lake, "Wow, Caee... This place is beautiful!" There was a giant, brilliant red gem reflecting light from somewhere. They decided to try and take the big gem back, but Suzuki pulled and pulled and it wouldn't come loose.

Caee tried, but it wouldn't work for her either. Another dizzy spell hit Caee. Everything flashed and the dark figure from before was there. It walked up to the large gem and pushed. A huge wave of water crashed through the vision, washing the figure away as it ended.

Suzuki was tugging the gem again, "I know! Let's push it!" And he pushed.

"No! Wait! Don't!" But it was to late. A loud roar of water filled the cave and they were washed out. A large geyser of water shot them into the air and somewhere else entirely. They landed in a hot spring where several Pokemon, with a old Torkoal, where at.

"Where are we?" A bruised, but otherwise unharmed, Suzuki asked, helping Caee stand in the warm waters. Her fur was soaked and nearly brown with water. Her ears were water logged and not even shaking could help.

"Are you all right?" A Teddiursa asked, "You fell from the sky and into the water! You startled us all!"

"Where are we?" Suzuki asked again.

Teddiursa answered, "Your at the Hot Spring."

"Hot Spring?" Caee questioned.

The old Torkoal walked closer, "Indeed! This is the Hot Spring! The Hot Spring works wonders on tired muscles and creaky joints. Many Pokémon visit here. Tell me youngsters, have you a map?"

Caee answered, "Yeah. We do." She opened it and showed the old Pokémon. He pointed out the Hot Spring on the map which was quite a ways from the waterfall, and much further from Treasure Town then the waterfall.

"That water sure carried us a long way!" Suzuki commented.

"My goodness. That water carried you here? What a long journey that must have been! Let the Hot Spring wash away your fatigue before you make your way home." The old Torkoal said and NightLight agreed, resting in the warm waters as Torkoal told stories from when he was young, until they had to head home.

~!Timeskip!~

Back at the guild, NightLight talked to Chatot about Waterfall Cave when Caee remembered the figure.

_'Hmm... I think I know who that was. Tall body, tall ears. A puff of hair. A bit fat... There is no mistaking it...Guildmaster Wigglytuff has been to that cave before!'_ Caee turned to Chatot, "Sir?" He turned to listen, "I think the Guildmaster has been to that cave before..."

"What! No way!" Chatot said loudly.

"Wasn't he the one who told you about the waterfall in the first place?"

Chatot fell silent, "I'll ask him..." He hopped off and came back a few minutes later, "It...Was all true! Why didn't the Guildmaster just tell me in the first place though?"

"Because I wanted Team NightLight to explore a bit more!" They all turned to see a smiling Wigglytuff, "They need to learn about discovering new places to better themselves. Besides! It was fun to see your reaction when I told you the truth Cher!~" He sang.

They all sweatdropped and laughed awkwardly. Later that night, after dinner, Caee and Suzuki were in their beds, talking and contemplating the day's events.

"Today was exasting." Caee spoke, "We should turn in early tonight, Suzuki..."

"Yeah. But we went through alot today, huh? Sure it was a huge letdown, but it was fun. Today made me hope to one day solve the puzzle of my Relic Fragment." Suzuki said, stuffing the little stone under his pillow, "Goodnight, Caee... See you in the morning..."

"Wait!" Suzuki bolted up, "I just realized something about your dizzy spells! You always seem to touch something when they happen!"

Caee blinked big, brown eyes, "Now that you mention it. Thst is true...Everytime, the vision I see is conected to what I touch... What could it mean?"

"I certianly don't know. Maybe we can ask someone sometime to find out..."

"Yeah."

Chatot hopped in then, "Hey, you two! The Guildmaster wants you!"

They followed the bird to Wigglytuff and entered, waiting, "Guildmaster, I've brought you Team NightLight."

Silence..., "Guildmaster...Guildmaster?"

"Hiya!" The Wigglytuff startled them, making Caee land on her rear and the others jump back and bit, "Your team went through alot! I want to tell you that our guild is mounting a full expedition soon!"

"Expedition?" Suzuki asked.

"Yes! The guild will go explore someplace far away! It's much harder then exploring our nearby area. That's why we need to prepare for the big trip properly. We carefully choose which guild members go on the expedition." Chatot explained.

"That's kind of cool..." Caee said.

"Usually, we would never, ever consider rookies to be expedition members." They all turned to Wigglytuff, "But you two are working so very hard! That's why we're making a special exception this time! We decided to include you in the list of candidates for the expedition!" Wigglytuff cheered.

"Don't get over excited," Chatot said, "You haven't been chosen yet. There is still alot of time before we set out. You fail to do enough work before then and you won't be taken along."

"Try hard!" Wigglytuff cheered.

NightLight cheered before heading back off to bed, dreams filled with traveling a long way from home...

TBC...

**(A/N Please await the next chapter! I'm really having loads of fun typing this. I'm sorry for the shorter chapter, but I'll have a long chapter soon! I promise!)**


	7. Team Skull

**Crash, Boom, KA-BOOM!**

"Talking"

'Moves'

_'Thinking'_

_Flashback_

_Narrator Talking_

_Congratulations!_

_Team NightLight went up in rank from the Bronze Rank to the Silver Rank! The number of items that can bet kept in storage has increased from 96 to 200! For advancing in the, the team was awarded one Zinc!_

_New Team Member!_

_Toge the Togetic is now always a member of your team unless certian story modes happen!_

_The next morning..._

Caee awoke early that day, before Loudred even woke. She perked her ears and heard his loud snoring down the hall. She walked to Suzuki's beside and spoke softly, but loud enough to wake him, "Suzuki~! Wake up sleepyhead~!"

The Treecko raised his head, "Caee? You sure are up early." He stretched and they made up their beds, "...I could get used to waking up like that..." He muttered, though Caee didn't hear. She was to busy tieing her ribbin onto her ear.

At eight in the morning, the were the first to the morning assembly, "Ahem! As I was explaining...there is a lake far to the east. There are many aspects of the lake that remain mysterious. We hope to unrevel those mysteries. And so, our guild is planning to mount an expedition for the first time in a while!~" Chatot sang while everyone cheered.

"We will depart in several days. Over these next few days, we will choose the most worthy apprentices. The chosen member will form the expedition party. Everyone, work hard so that you may be chosen for the expedition!" Chatter started again. Everyone was so excited.

Team NightLight went to check the boards as normal, but they saw two old Pokemon. Zubat and Koffing.

"'Ey!"

"'Ou two?!" Koffing asked loudly.

"Haven't we seen you before?" Caee questioned. The two Pokemon face planted before getting back up.

"'Ow co'd yous not re'mbe' us?! They cried.

"I remember!" Suzuki said, "You two stole my Relic Fragment way back when! Didn't you?"

Koffing laughed, "'Ll 'have yas know dat 'e ahr an exp'orat'on te'm too!"

"'hat's sa fun'y 'bout us che'kin da bo'rd?" Zubat cackled.

"You're an exploration team?!"

"Zubat! Koffing!" They all turned to the ladder where a Skuntank stood.

"Chief!" The duo cried.

"We are Team Skull." The Skuntank explained, his voice deep, silky and rather pleasant, that is until he knocked Caee out briefly with his stench. On purpose. The gang went off on their merry little way leaving Suzuki trying franticaly to wake his partner...

_A few days later..._

"Everyone!~ I have an announcment before we get down to work! Let me introduce our new allies!~ Hey! Over here please!~" A horrible smell rolled over the Pokémon, "These three are our new partners!~" The three introduce themselves before Chatot spoke again, "These three aren't joining us as apprentices. They will be joining our expediton to lend us their assistance!~ The Guildmaster has made his desicion. He decided having this group will make us strong on the expedition. It would be impossible to have teamwork if we had to work together right away, therefore we decided that the trio will live with us for several days." More then one Pokémon groaned about the stench here, "All right, everyone!~ Let's get down to work!~"

_One night a few days later..._

"'E jus' 'ad dinner, bu' I co'd go fer so' 'ore brug!" Zubat said in the night.

"Me Bel'y'll ne'er get fu'l on b'ub lik' dat!" Koffing...Koffed...

"All right. The guild members have all gone off to bed...Let's go find it now." Skuntank whispered.

"Huh? Fin' w'at?" Zubat asked.

"What else? The guild's food stock. We'll find their food and give ourselves a proper feast."

"I lik' ths' thi'kin, Chief!" Koffing said.

"Ok'y! L't's do it!"

_The next morning..._

"Wake up sleepyhead..." A soft, beautiful voice echoed in his dreams.

Suzuki cracked open his eyes to the early dawn light shining on his partners golden fur, _'Is it just me or does she seem more beautiful today?'_ His eyes widened and looked away from his partner as she woke up Toge, _'Oh...dear...Mew! Why am I thinking this!'_ His cheeks took on a pink tinge as Caee showed Toge how to tie his scarf, _'She's just a friend! No matter how cute she is! No matter if it's addicting it is to see her sleeping with her tail. Even if you love her sparkling eyes! Even if her ears are so cute when they twitch as she's thinking! You do not have a crush!...Oh, who am I kidding? She's so cute!'_

"Suzuki?" Suzuki shook his head.

"Yes, Caee?"

"You ready?"

"Ah! Yes! Let's go!"

Toge fluttered after them as they rushed to the morning assembly.

"AND...THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!" "Okay, Pokémon! Time to get to work!~" "HOORAY!"

"Ah, you two. Your task today is to obtain stock to repenish the larder." Chatot told the trio.

"Larder?" The quiet Togetic, Toge spoke up, "You mean get some food?"

"Correct!~ We inspected the larder this morning. For some mysterious reason, the guild's food stock dropped sharply all of a sudden, and I know Bidin, with his appetite, can't eat THAT much. Furthermore, our entire stock of Perfect Apples has disappeared. That was the only item to get completely cleaned out."

Suzuki blinked, "Perfect Apples? What are those?"

"They're very big and very delicious Apples. But more than that, they are the Guildmaster's favorite food!~ If there were no Perfect Apples, the Guildmaster would...um... The Guildmaster w-would...erk! The G-Guildmaster would... Yes, that's what would happen. That's why I'm begging you two to get some Perfect Apples."

"Alright!" Caee said. She really like the bird, but he seemed terrified of something, "We'll do it! See you later!" And she dragged her team off, humming a merry tune.

"PERFECT APPLES ARE FOUND IN APPLE WOODS! BE SAFE!" Chatot called after them.

When they arrived in Apple Woods, they looked around, rather liking the sweet smell and warm air. They followed a path into the woods and looked around again, noticing the huge amount of apples everywhere, "We are most definattly in the right place. Let's go, Caee!"

And they took off, never noticing the group following them.

"Lo'ks lik' de're off an' run'in!" Koffinf said.

"'E'll go afte' dem. 'Ome on!" Zubat said, flying after.

Team NightLight were rather tired by the end of the exastingly long twelve floor, somewhat watery dungeon. The end of the dungeon held a tall, strong tree with Perfect Apples hanging from the branches.

"How do we get them down?" Suzuki hummed in thought.

"Easy." A silky voice said. The team turned to see Team Skull behind them, looking smug.

"You!" It was the normally quiet Toge that spoke.

"Yes. Team Skull at your service, my lady." Skuntank said silkily towards Caee. Caee's fur puffed up is disgust, _'Ick! Team Skull's leader is kind of creepy... Even if his voice is sexy...'_

"It's lit'le roden' an' co'pany. Wha' to'k yas so lon'." Zubat chortled.

"Wesa been 'aven a pi'nic a Per'ect A'ples wait'n fer yas." Koffing sneered.

"Let me help you, my lady." By now, Caee looked like a ball of fluffy fur with ears and a tail. She didn't like this Pokemon at all. Skuntank walked towards the side of the tree and head-butted it a few times, causing a few Apples to fall.

"You may have these Apples. So long as you allow me a nice, private chat. How about over dinner, with candles." Caee sunk further into her fur, as far as she could.

"No!" She yelped. She really didn't like this guy.

"After I helped you? That's not very nice." The smirk one his face was clear.

"You're going to do something horrible, aren't you!?" Suzuki questioned them.

"I'm a little sad you didn't accept, my lady. Well. Let's see if you can withstand this attack! Koffing and my's noxious gas combo!" A horrible smell covered the cleared. Caee was the only one awake, as she had buried her nose into her fur. Later, Suzuki and Toge woke to Caee calming Zubat down. He was blubbering and crying, upset that two Pokémon he thought were his friends abandoned him.

He saw Suzuki and Toge awaken and fled, still blubbering a bit.

_That night..._

Caee sighed. Suzuki and Toge were asleep, but she was awake and upset because of what Team Skull did. They had gotten in trouble and made it seem like they had skipped out on their job, therefore they didn't get dinner.

**Rrrrglrrrgh**

Caee's cheeks flushed. She really was hungry. She sighed and turned in her bed after glancing at Toge. She stared at Suzuki's face, her face lighting like a torch, _'So cute... No! Bad Chu! No funny business around your best friend!'_

Caee turned over again and fell into an uncomfortable sleep.

_The next morning..._

"Ahem. One last item. Tomorrow or several days after... Or perhaps several days' in time, we plan to announce the members of the expedition party!~" Everyone cheered though Team NightLight was rather upset.

_'Thank to Team Skull, we most likely won't go...'_ Caee thought.

"Everyone, this is your last chance to make an impression!~ Work hard and impress if you want to be chosen!~ All right, everyone!~ Let's get down to work as usual!~"

"HOORAY!"

Team NightLight went about doing work incredibly sad.

"Psst! Listen up!"

The team looked around, wondering who spoke, "Shh! Over here!"

Bidoof, Sunflora, and Chimecho ushered them back towards their room. Sunflora handed them each an Apple with a sunny smile, "Here. You must be hungry. We managed to sneak these for you last night. It's not much, but it should getyou through the day.

"Thank you..." They thanked before eating the Apples with vigour.

After thanking them once more, they all headed out to do their duties.

TBC...

**(A/N I'm actually kind of sleepy now. I've been up all night after all.)**


	8. The Mysterious Thieves' Story

**Crash, Boom, KA-BOOM!**

"Talking"

'Moves'

_'Thinking'_

_Flashback_

_Narrator Talking_

_The Story before The Story_

Fires raged throughout a village cast in shadows. Earth and rocks floated in the air, unmoving, frozen in time. A nameless Treecko dashed from the village, barely escaping clutches of unknown assalents. After a long time fleeing, he sat at the entrance to a rocky outcrop, a single tear dripping down his cheek as he watched the fires destroy his home.

He fell asleep that night, cold, tired, hungry, and alone. When he woke, a young human, much younger then himself, was smileing at him ,"Your awake!" The child cheered. She couldn't have been more then ten; Half his age.

They quickly grew close, becoming fast friends. A few years later, in a old building underground, when she was fifteen to his twenty-five, she led him down an old, creaky ladder and they walked past several Pokemon frozen in time. A Wigglytuff and Chatot held eachother, looking sad and frightened, along with many other Pokemon, the most notable being a Togetic with an odd pin on a scarf around its neck. He on absolutly heart wrenching expression on his face. Tears were frozen on his cheeks as he stared out a window. In his little hands though was a heart wrenching note from two Pokemon called 'Suzuki' and 'Caee'.

He had only ever heard of humans having names though. Apparently, in the distant past, Pokémon had names instead of being nameless creatures. The note had stated that if they never returned, everything in their possesion was to be given to the guild and divided evenly. That was only if neither returned.

She had taken to see the beach and town nearby and, while beautiful, were frozen in time. The waves never moving, and the town like a photo. All the Pokémon frozen in a perfect state of happieness. The Treecko watched the girl pull out and open an old history book and read a story. A story of a world were a sun rise and sank everyday and night, were stars shone and clouds moved. Breezes blew and Pokemon were happy and cheerful, like the frozen town.

He had never heard of this and he had asked if it would be possible to change the past, "Maybe." She had said, "I have an ability called a Dimensional Scream that allows me to find were something is. I don't know what they are called, but with help, we could go into the past, collect all of them, and restore time."

Two year later, the girl, now a woman, was crouched before him. He was a Grovyle and the truth was hard to bear as she told him a harsh truth, "Grovyle. You do realize, changing the past means we will cease to exist. Correct? We will vanish, never to appear again. Are you still willing?" Grovyle justed nodded firmly and a Celebi nearby opened a portal.

"Hurry!" The Celebi ushered and they paused before the time gate. They held hands and looked at each other sadly before going through. While in the tunnel, they hit turbulence and were torn apart. Grovyle tried despretly to keep his hold on the girl's hand but she slipped away. He cried out her name, agony lacing his voice as a scream tore from her throat.

What he didn't know, however, was that they would be reunited without him knowing it...

~LineBreak~

**(A/N I made this to a story told by pictures. The video is on Youtube and called The Story behind Pokémon Mystery Dungeon 2. Please watch it. The Japanese person who drew the pictures was very talented.)**


	9. Groudon's Heart

**Crash, Boom, KA-BOOM!**

"Talking"

'Moves'

_'Thinking'_

_Flashback_

_Narrator Talking_

_Before dinner..._

"Ahem! Before we begin dinner tonight...I wish to make an announcement." Everyone cried out and jeered at Chatot at this, "Order! I must have order! Ahem! I'm sure the selection of the expedition members has been on everyone's minds. Our Guildmaster has apparently made his final decisions!~" Everyone cheered happily at the news, "The members will be announced at tomorrow morning's briefing. It's something to look foreword too!~"

"Now, sorry to have kept you waiting. Without further ado... On your marks..."

"LET'S EAT!"

_Later that night, elsewhere..._

"There it is! Another Time Gear!" A deep voice said in an almost sinister way, "This is the second one!"

A figure walked up to a glowing gear in an underground lake. In the gear's light, a smirk was plain to see on his face. He snatched the Time Gear and bolted as greyness overtook the scene. He ran to keep from freezing in time himself, "Three more Time Gears remain. I must have them..."

A dark laugh echoed into the night...

_The next morning..._

Excitement buzzed in the air as Suzuki woke early to Caee waking him up. Toge snickered. Suzuki knew that Toge knew of his crush. Togetic and their line were famous for being able to feel emotions like Ralts and their line.

The only down side to the bright day was that Toge couldn't go even if they were chosen. He had joined the team after news of the expedition and as such, he wasn't allowed to go. He, like many others staying, would have to look after the guild, from what was explained anyway.

Chatot had most enjoyed the sight of an overjoyed Caee pushing her teammates into the kitchen to grab a couple Apples when he woke that morning.

He was more then happy to help Caee locate a Magost Berry for breakfast as well. When the assembly came around, they were happily waiting.

"Ahem! Now then. I shall announce the expedition members at this time! Guildmaster, the memo please." Chatot was handed a paper by Wigglytuff and he turned to read it, "The chosen members are written on this memo." He stated, holding a parchment up, "Step forward if your name is called. Without further ado, I will announce who've been chosen. Our first member...Loudred!~"

The loud Pokémon stepped forward, laughing joyfully, "Next up is...Corphish!" The red lobster-like Pokémon walked forward silently, "Next is... Oh, what's this? Well this is a surprise! Our next member is Bidoof!" Bidin was smiling widely at the news as he hopped forth, "Next are Sunflora and Chimecho!" These two giggled and went forward. Now there weren't many left, of who could be chosen to go anyway, "And there we have the expedition party members!"

Suzuki and Caee were a bit disheartened by the news, "So that's it for the expedition members... Erm... What's this...?" Chatot sighed and looked around nervously, _There's something scribbled on the margins of this memo... The Guildmaster's writing is such a messy scrawl... This is so hard to decipher... Erk! If I said that aloud, the consequences wouldn't be pretty. Best to keep a stiff upper beak and swallow those words.'_

Chatot sighed and held up the page a bit more, "Erm... It appears that there are more expedition members. The others are...Diglett, Dugtrio, and Croagunk. Oh, and Suzuki and Caee!~ That is all. Wait a second! What?! WHAT?! Eyah! Guildmaster! This list seems to include... All seniors and apprentices at the guild!"

Wigglytuff smiled obliviously, "Yup! That's right!"

"Well then! It seems the whole selection process was meaningless. Moreover, if we were to all go, we would be leaving the guild empty but for a few rookies that can hardly run the place! Are you sure it will be all right to leave the guild without at least one apprentice or senior to run it?!" Chatot squawked, flapping frantically.

"It'll be fine! We'll make sure the others know what to do?!" Wigglytuff sang, "And with everyone going, we can have more fun!" Everyone just sweatdropped...

_'Really?'_ Was the collective thought.

"We'll be noisy and excited and having fun! I started thinking about it, and it made me so excited, I couldn't sleep!" Wigglytuff was rambling now, "So that's how it is, everyone!" Wigglytuff said loudly after a bit more nonsensical rambling, "We're all going in the expedition, and it will be fun, fun, fun! Let's all do our best!~" He cheered.

"HOORAY!" Everyone yelled.

"Urrgh... Well, this settled." Chatot sighed, "Fine. Let me explain the schedule Right after this, I will hold a briefing on the expedition. As such, the chosen members-_'that is everyone'_-... Each of you should get prepared to embark on the expedition. Let me remind you that this is an expedition that is guild exclusive and for those that have joined after it was announced, you cannot come. Those left behind shall watch over the guild, keeping it clean and doing jobs. Keep that in mind while you are making preparations. When you are prepared for the upcoming journey, you should return here. Then inform me of your readiness. That is all. Dismissed!"

And everyone scattered to prepare.

_A while later, everyone was prepared..._

_The Exploration Team Federation has team a message... Caee's team was rewarded with a bigger Treasure Bag! You can now carry more items then you could before!_

"Your all accounted for it seems." Chatot started off, "Well then. Let me explain about this expedition!~ First the objective: exploration of Fogbound Lake. This lake is perpetually surrounded by a dense fog. As such, its actual existence has never been confirmed... It is merely the foggy mirage of a spot that lives to this day on rumor alone. It is also rumored... A treasure of exquisite beauty is hidden there!~"

A lot of Pokémon 'oohed' and 'ahhed' at this, "Everyone, open your Wonder Maps please..."

_After a long talk, Team NightLight was paired with Bidoof until they arrived. The guild all took different paths to get there, though NightLight had the longest path through two Mystery Dungeons known as Craggy Coast and Mt. Horn. Though it was funny for Guildmaster Wigglytuff to call Chatot boring when he had to go with him._

"We did it! We got over Mt. Horn!" Bidoof cried out, "We've arrived at the base camp!"

The Pokémon turned at the sound of their voices, "Team NightLight and Bidin! Where were you?! We were worried!" Chatot and a few others cried out.

"We had a longer path and we got turned around once or twice." Caee explained. Chatot just sighed heavily.

"Well... I'm just glad your okay..." He muttered. As everyone went to help them set up quicker, Caee stood there in a daze.

"Caee? What's wrong?" Suzuki's echoed as if underwater to Caee. She was lost in thought.

_'...What's this weird sensation? I don't know why I'm feeling this way... I... Wait a second! I know this place! Have I been here before? Maybe. Does it have something to do with me? Before I lost my memory?'_

"Come on, come on! We haven't got all day!" Chatot ushered, breaking Caee from her thoughts.

"Alright!" She and Suzuki called, heading off. Though Caee stalled for a second before going.

"Erm... Attention, please. It appears everyone arrived at our base camp safe and sound." Chatot started, "We shall now proceed to the exploration of Fogbound Lake!~" He trilled, making everyone either giggle, laugh, or cheer, "As you can see, even with the thick fog, we are in a densely forested area. Somewhere within this forest, Fogbound Lake is supposedly concealed... But so far, that has been nothing more then a rumor. Exploration teams of all stripes have mounted many a challenge, but so far the lake has excluded discovery."

The Pokémon cheered loudly, wanting to hear more, "Umm. May I?" Chimecho's sweet voice tinkled, "Um, while we were traveling, I heard about a certain legend."

"A legend, you say?" Chatot said in a questioning tone.

"Yes. A legend about Fogbound Lake. According to legend, Fogbound Lake is home to a Pokémon called Uxie. The Pokémon is said to be exceedingly rare. Uxie is said to lock eyes with others and wipe their memories clean."

Caee jolted, _'Eh?! Wipe their memories clean?!'_

"That is why, even if travelers were to happen upon Fogbound Lake... Uxie would wipe their memories clean... Thereby muzzling the travelers from revealing the existence of the lake. And that is how Uxie protects Fogbound Lake. I was told such a legend remains." Chimecho finished.

Everyone pondered what would happen if they found the lake and had their memories wiped. More then one Pokémon shivered violently.

"Ahem." Chatot drew attention back to himself, "You should realize that places of this sort can be expected to have a folktale or a legend attached to them. Our guild has overcome difficult challenges when conducting successful explorations!~" He sang and everyone cheered up.

"Ha ha ha!" Wigglytuff chuckled, "Don't worry, everything will be alright!~ Let's believe in success for this adventure too, and... Let's try!~ Let's try!~" The pink Pokémon sang, dancing in place.

"Let's move on with our plan." Chatot spoke again, "The Guildmaster and I shall remain here to gather intelligence from our teams in the field. You are to go off in teams to explore this forest. Be aware that this forest is enshrouded in a deep fog. Once you enter it, visibility is severely restricted. We think Fogbound Lake has defied discovery because of this fog. Perhaps there is a way of lifting this fog. Therefore, you search is twofold. One, search for Fogbound Lake. And two, find a way to lift this fog. I you accomplish either thing, return to base camp and tell me or the Guildmaster. That is all. All right everyone!~ Let's give it our best as always!~" Chatot finished on a high note.

"HOORAY!"

_'...I know this place... According to the legend, the Pokémon Uxie can wipe clean the memories of others. Are these two things really just a coincidence? Hmm. Maybe I came here before I lost my memory. Then maybe I met Uxie...and he wiped my memory clean. Could that have happened?'_

Suzuki snapped Caee out of her thoughts, "Caee?! Why do you keep drifting off like that. It's not like you. Let's hurry and get ready to enter the forest."

Sometime later, Suzuki and Caee were walking down the path leading to Foggy Forest when Suzuki stopped and picked up a red gem, "Caee! Feel this! This stone is really warm to the touch. It's rather pleasant." He said, showing the Pikachu the large red gem. She rubbed a paw on the stone, feeling the warmth that seemed to emanate from within. She removed her paw and blinked at the stone. It was rather odd for such a warm stone to be in such a cold place.

The gem glittered in the faint light casting triangles, squares, and spots of red and orange onto the ground. Suzuki put the stone into the bag Caee carried and continued on. Meanwhile, Caee was lost in thought, _'...Maybe the key to unlocking my memory lies here...Fogbound Lake... I may find some answers if Fogbound Lake can be found...'_

She shook herself from her thoughts when they came upon another Mystery Dungeon. They decided to go through it so see if anything was on the other side. After several long floors, the duo reached a slightly foggy area with thick, plush grass growing, and the heavy rush of waterfalls. It was hardly pretty with the obscuring fog, so they really wanted it gone to see what the area looked like.

"Where are we? This seems to be the deepest part of the forest." Suzuki questioned himself.

"Hey, hey, hey! Over here!" The two looked to see, through the fog, a splotch of red though the voice they had only heard in the background, they knew it well enough. It was Corphish.

"You two find any clues? I can't find anything..." He asked.

"No. I'm afraid not." Suzuki replied.

"Oh. Though, I did find something interesting." He led them to a tall statue of some sort that had them all puzzled.

"I think it's the statue of a Pokémon but I've never heard of a Pokémon like this!" Corphish said, gesturing to the huge, twenty foot statue. Suzuki inspected the statue and found something interesting.

"Caee. Can you read this? I can't understand this text..." The Pikachu nodded and waked over with Corphish, tail wagging slightly.

"Let's see. It's in footprint runes. It says, 'Reignite the life the burned within Groudon... Then the sky shall blaze with the sun's heat... The path to treasure shall be revealed.' That's it." Caee said, taking a second to decipher the message.

"Treasure? Do you think it could mean Fogbound Lake?" Corphish asked excitedly.

"Most likely..." Caee muttered, setting a paw on the stone when suddenly, everything flickered and darkness overcame her and a ping of light flashed before a voice spoke, "That's it!" A deep voice spoke almost happily, "It's here! It's here!" Everything returned to normal but Caee's vision flickered again before, once again, shadows overcame her and a light pinged, "I see! Place the Drought Stone in Groudon's heart. That lifts the fog! Very well done! Good job, partner!" Everything returned to normal but the second voice bugged Caee.

_'This vision was different to my others. I only heard a voice... Well, two voices. But the second one. But whose voices were they? I didn't get a feel of the voices but the second one really bugged me...'_ She turned to Suzuki after shaking her head, "Suzuki. Your a good climber. I think I know what your stone is. See if there is a hole that might fit it somewhere."

Suzuki scrambled up the statue and found a hollow on the chest of the statue. He held up the stone, having taken in from Caee, and fit it into the hole. A bright light flashed through the area before fading, the fog gone. Everything was clear and the sight was beautiful.

The sky was a bright blue with a few puffy clouds and the sun beat down, showing off bright green grass, and blue water, falling from what seemed to be the heavens. They looked up and, Dear Mew, the sight was beautiful. It was no wonder Fogbound Lake evaded discovery. It wasn't on the ground. It was above their very heads. A large stone island stood on a thin pillar, still holding up. Water fell over the edges in a gorgeous sight against the sky. Greenery of all kinds grew from the island. They would explore this island and be the first to do so.

Corphish ran back to camp to tell everyone while Team NightLight entered another Mystery Dungeon to climb to the lake. Before they could go though, a silky voice called, "Hold it."

Team Skull, "Good job." Skuntank sneered, "Since you solved the mystery, you are no longer of any use to us." Skuntank said, preparing to knock the duo out with another foul smelling bomb. But another voice yelled.

"Waah! Wait! Wait for me!" An Apple bounced into the scene, "Perfect Apple!~ Perfect Apple!~" Wigglytuff appeared and picked up the Apple, "I finally caught you!~ My Perfect Apple!~ If my Perfect Apple went away, I would... I would..." Wigglytuff sniffled, "Oh? Oh-oh?" Wigglytuff glanced at Team NightLight, "Oh, you two! And my friends too!~" He sang, glancing at Team Skull this time.

"Everyone's all together!~ Yay, yay!" The pink menace cheered, "I was taking a walk in the forest then my Perfect Apple went rolling and rolling away from me. So I ran and ran, and here I am!~ Oh, yes!" Wigglytuff turned to Team NightLight, "You two shouldn't be dawdling here, should you? You two have a job, don't you? To explore the forest, right? Go on the, off you go!~"

"But..." Caee started but Wigglytuff stopped her.

"You don't want to listen to your Guildmaster? Boooo! Boooo! Hurry, get exploring!~" He sang.

"A-alright..." And they were off, walking away slowly.

"Good luck!~ Oh, I hope we get some good news soon!~" Wigglytuff danced around, singing horribly off tune, bouncing his Perfect Apple on his head as he did so.

"Guildmaster?" Skuntank said, covering his anger.

"Hm? What is it friend?" Wigglytuff questioned, still bouncing the Apple on his head.

"We were thinking that we should go explore as well..."

Wigglytuff 'jumped', rather 'shocked', "Oh! That's alright! I can't trouble my friend like that!" He said, as if a bit 'upset', "We'll let those two do the exploring. Let's wait for their report!~" He sang 'obliviously'. He continued singing and dancing with his Apple. Team Skull was rather angry so they unleased their stink bomb on Wigglytuff. They wanted to take him down to not only make it to the treasure in Fogbound Lake first, but because of the rumor for Wigglytuff's unbelievably precious treasure.

~LineBreak!~

**(A/N So. You like? You better. I had to re type this chapter, as well as half the last chapter when the files corrupted and everything was deleted. Not. Fun. To make matters worse! FanFiction went down! So you can imagine I was pretty upset. So. Onto the next chapter! Also. Please, for the love of Mew, tell me of grammar errors and punctuation errors. I will love you forever if you do. Thanks!)**


	10. The Mystery of Fogbound Lake

**Crash, Boom, KA-BOOM!**

"Talking"

'Moves'

_'Thinking'_

_Flashback_

_Narrator Talking_

"Hey! I see it, Caee!" Suzuki said, "See?" He pointed out what he saw, "There's a big fissure." It was incredibly hot there. the nearby pools of water bubbled from the heat, "We can enter through here." Suzuki said after glancing inside the entrance.

"It's really hot here. There's even alot of steam." Caee commented, "Let's go." And off they went.

_Meanwhile..._

_Back at the Groudon statue..._

Zubat and Koffing were wondering why Skuntank was shaking as he stared down Wigglytuff.

"Dear friends! What's wrong?" Wigglytuff quiestioned, "You've been making such scary faces at me!" Skuntank shook harder, nearly sweating, "I get it! You're trying to make me laugh with silly faces! I bet I can make you laugh too!" Wigglytuff tugged at his mouth and ears to make some of the most comical expressions that where somehow very unsettling, "Blabba!~ Blabba!~ Blapp!~ Blobba!~ Blobba!~ Blopp!~"

Team Skull was a little freaked out.

"Wut?" He said, face still in a rather unsettling expression. Team Skull threw a 'noxious gas comb' at Wigglytuff.

Back with Team NightLight. They were working their way through Steam Cave. Suzuki's scales were moist with sweat. The heat wasn't that bad for him, however, Caee's fur was completely soaked. Brown in color from sweat. The heat was sweltering to the thickly furred Pikachu and almost unbearable.

About halfway through dungeon, they heard a loud growl, "W-what was that?!" Caee stuttered. Another growl came, much louder this time. They shakily continued on. Another few minutes later, another loud growl was heard. Suzuki was a little frightened, but Caee was downright terrafied, but they continued on.

They finally reached the peak and were paralyzed in fear. Heavy, earth shaking footsteps. Suzuki and Caee stared up at the eleven foot beast. It was red with black, runic lines, "Groudon!" They cried. Groudon cried loudly.

**"GROOOHHHHH!"**

Meanwhile, back at the beginning, Corphish ran on, leading the entire guild with him.

"This is it?" Chatot asked, "The Groudon statue?"

"Oh but there's no one else here!" Sunflora cried.

"Are you really sure you saw the Guildmaster, Corphish?"

Corphish jumped, "Sure, I'm sure! I saw him when I was scuttling back to base camp! The Guildmaster dashed past, all willy-nilly, in hot pursuit of a Perfect Apple! Right now, I'de guess Team NightLight went ahead. So I'de bet that the Guildmaster went up after them, don't you think?"

Earth shaking rumbbles shock the guild members.

"What was that?" Someone said aloud.

A loud roar echoed.

**"GROOOHHHHH!"**

"What was _**that**_!"

"Let's hurry! They could be in trouble!"

As they were rushing off, Diglett stopped Dugtrio briefly, "Dad? Did you hear something?"

"No. I didn't... Must have been your imagination." And they left.

Over to the left of the statue, Team Skull lay on the ground, battered and bruise heavily. Zubat and Koffing were moaning and groaning but Skuntank just groaned out a, "S-shut up... I never woulda guessed Wigglytuff was that strong..."

Back with Team NightLight, they were shaking and Caee was nearly in tears.

Groudon gave a yelling growl that they were forced to cover their ears for, "Ahh!"

"YOU! YOU COME TO DESECRATE THIS PLACE!" Groudon accused, "DEPART NOW!"

"But! We are just exploreing!" Suzuki cried out.

"NEVER! YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" And Groudon charged, attacking, "PREPARE TO DIE!" A large paw swiped at them.

Back at the bottom, the group rushed towards the entrance, extremely worried, "Hurry!" Chatot called through the darkness.

"Chatot! Do you know a Pokémon called Groudon?" Corphish questioned as they ran.

"Yes! What do you need to know for?! Groudon is a legend, passed down in many myths through the generations."

"A legend?"

"Yes. The myths says he created the land by raising it from the sea!" Chatot said as they neared the half-way point.

Back with NightLight though.

"What if you were to face Groudon in battle?"

Suzuki was thrown into a wall, a scream pain pain left him as a rib or two broke, "SUZUKI!" Caee screamed, in tears.

"Battle?! Out of the question!"

Caee was slashed at. She barely made it away from being cut in two, but she had a gapping wound on her chest and blood flowed freely, soaking her fur. Suzuki worked to fight as best he could, even going so far as to throw an X-Eye Seed at Groudon, confusing him.

"Is anyone were foolish enough to face Groudon in a battle..."

Suzuki's right arm was shattered by a large, clawed hand swiping at him. A gapping wound sliced into his back as he flew away. Caee was thrown back as well, her left leg breaking.

"Well. It would be like throwing your life away! He is that strong! Like all legendary Pokémon!"

Caee stood, shaking. She limped away from an attack, managing to just make it away from the killing blow, though several small stones slashed her cheeks and right eye. She could still see, but she had trouble. Blood dripped in her eyes and she forced herself to eat an Eyedrop Seed to clear her vision as Suzuki got some energy back with Absorb.

They had had enough. Caee threw an X-Eye Seed and Vile Seed at the titan. He was confused and his Defense and Special Defense minimal. Several Absorbs and Quick Attacks later took the titan down, though the duo's wounds were harsh and they were bleeding out. They had received a harsh beating while attacking, Caee earning a slash just above her tail and Suzuki getting slashed on the tail.

Groudon roared and collapsed, flickering in and out of existance. He was nothing more then an illusion. A very deadly illusion. Groudon faded away and Uxie appeared. Caee was still standing, though her face had gone pale from blood lose and Suzuki was having a hard time gatherine breath.

"Follow me..." They barely were able. Then they saw the lake, "I'm sorry." Uxie muttered, "I conjured that illusion a thousand years ago when the Time Gear was threatened."

"T-time Gear?..." Caee said, vision growing dim.

"Yes... Look at the center of the lake." The duo turned and saw the most beautiful sight. Night had fallen and Volbeat and Illumise flew before a huge geyser. The water fell in an elegent and simple way. The Volbeat's lights lit the edges of the water a beautiful gold while something from within lit the water in all hues of violet and blue. A dome of blue-green surrounded the beautiful sight. Crystals sprouted from within and were clawed, as if protecting the inner light.

Caee and some small thoughts rushing through her head, _'What could that be? I can't figure it out...but it's making my heart race even more! But why? Why would stir me up so much? Why is my pulse speeding up even more all of a sudden?'_

It was a Time Gear. The sight was treasure enough for the heavily injured duo. Uxie vanished with a soft whisper, "Your friends arrive. They will take you...Let it be known that I am sorry. I will let you keep your memory, but do not endanger to Time Gear or you shall perish."

Just as the guild arrived, Caee collapsed, followed by Suzuki her last thought echoing, _'__We'll keep the gear secret. And I'll not tell anyone about the feelings I felt... What would happen if I really did come here and had my memory wiped upon doing so?'_

**"CAEE! SUZUKI!"** Everyone rushed to them, tears in their eyes. They carefully mended their wounds as best they could in the moment, and took them back to camp. There they took care of their wounds much more firmly and they traveled back to the guild.

At the guild, they were cared for even more. Toge was constantly watching over them, unless he collapsed from lack of sleep. The duo were in a coma for two months even after fully healing. One morning though, Suzuki woke with Caee to Toge watching over them, heavy bags under his eyes. Though, Caee, upon waking was wondering about the unease she felt...

_And so..._

_The guild's long and challanging expedition came to an end... Wigglytuff and the members safely returned to the guild with their precious, injured burdon. For Caee and Suzuki, when they woke and were healed, they still had duties to perform, but nothing to bad._

_The clouds lifted from Fogbound Lake and the surounding areas!_

_The Exploration Team Federation has sent a message!_

_Caee's team was rewarded. Their Treasure Bag is now bigger!_

_You can now carry more items then you could before!_

_Wait..._

_There's one more message..._

_The Special Episode 'Igglybuff the Prodigy' has been been unlocked!_

_If you would like to play the Special Episode, save your adventure progress, and return to the Main Menu._

TBC...

**(A/N Wow... I am cruel! And I love it. Now I'm glad for being a bit paranoid, and since the gore was written fairly well, I.E I read to many gore stories, I have some more planned for the future. Unlike most Mystery Dungeon stories, even if Groudon is fake, they should still heavily injure the character. No charater should come out uninjured of a fight unless they are the first two, early game fight, like with Zubat and Koffing, and Drowzee. They will be heavily injured, but in further stories, where a big fight is involved, my character will pack alot more healing item and other things for said fight. Hope you like! Also. The cruelty I did was anger from loosing nearly two entire files and FanFiction shutting down when I went back to edit a few things. Guh...)**


	11. Special Episode 2

**Crash, Boom, KA-BOOM!**

"Talking"

'Moves'

_'Thinking'_

_Flashback_

_Narrator Talking_

_Igglybuff the Prodigy_

_The moon shone brightly. All in the guild were asleep. Team NightLight snoozed on, bandages covering their forms as a Togetic slept in a chair, worry written on it's face. Loudred snored as Biddof and Corphish slept, somehow, soundly. Sunflora and Chimecho slept comfortably, Chimecho making a soft tingling noise, like a bell._

_Though there was one still awake. Chatot quietly snuck through the night, heading to Wigglytuff's door._

"...Guildmaster... It's Cher... I'm coming in..." He whispered after looking around briefly. Entering the room he walked up to Wigglytuff.

He placed a single, Perfect Apple before him, "Sorry to have kept you waiting. Here's your Perfect Apple~!" He sang.

Wigglytuff cheered, smiling childishly, "Yay~! Thank you~!" He danced around with the Apple atop his head as Chatot 'Hmphed'.

"This is the last time! Each night I sneak away from everyone and bring you a Perfect Apple from storage... I'm fed up with it! Please, let me stop doing this! I'm begging!" Chatot said, nearly wimpering, _'...That is, the Guildmaster...would sneak in and eat one anyway if I didn't bring him one...'_

Suddenly, Wigglytuff tripped, dropping a small, spherical object onto the ground, "Oh!" He placed the apple down and picked up the object. He checked it as it sparkled in the firelight.

"Is this..." Chatot started, "A Defend Globe?" Wigglytuff was worrying over the dropped item.

"...It's all right. It's not damaged." The pink Pokemon rejoiced, "That's good~! I thought it got chipped or broken when I dropped it!"

Chatot chuckled, "That's kind of a rare item for you, Guildmaster~! You're usually pretty rough with items, Guildmaster... But it's nice to see there is an item you take good care of~! Guildmaster is always taking care of Perfect Apples..." _'...That is, he's like that again today.'_ "That is,it seems like that Defense Globe is a very Precious exclusive item, isn't it? But... This item only has an effect on bug type Pokemon... So even though you're holding on to it, Guildmaster, it's not very useful, is it?"

Wigglytuff smiled wistfully, "Yes. I know you're right... But... But this is a special thing."

"Special thing?" Chatot questioned.

"Yep~! Special thing. It's why... When I decided to become an explorer... The starting point."

_"Way back when... Yep... That was back when I was still a small childe... I wasn't Wigglytuff yet... This was back when I was still an Igglybuff."_

_"There, everyone live an easy life..."_

A Wooper and a Budew left a Smoochem in a field as they went to go get their friend. Smoochem noticed and ran after them.

_It was a very peaceful prairie._

A small, warm home was seen. The door had a Wigglytuff hair tuft painted on it and the house seemed to have large ears.

_I was raised in that little house..._

_I lived happily there with my parents._

Inside the home, a male and female Wigglytuff talked happily at a wooden table while an Igglybuff slept on one of three, cloud-like beds.

"Good morning, J." The Wigglytuff known as 'Papa' said when the Igglybuff woke.

"Yep, good morning~!" J sang, "Papa~! Mama~!" J only knew his parents as 'Mama' and 'Papa' of course.

"Hey, J. You've got plans to play with your friends today, right?" Mama questioned, "I bought a bunch of Gummis. Take some to share."

"Yep~! Thanks, Mama~!" J sang, taking som of the Gummis when a voice called.

"J!" Mama and J turned to the door.

"J~! Let's play~!"

Mama smiled, "Look... Your friends are here. Be careful... Come home before it's dark." She warned.

"Yep~! I'm off~!" And J bounced away joyfully.

_The Special Episode 'Igglybuff the Prodigy' stars J as the main character._

Outside, the door swung open and J's friends were there.

"Oh! J!" Chen the Wooper said happily.

"Hi, everyone~!" J sang.

"Yay~! Let's go! Let's go~!" Marie, a Smoochum, said happily and the four went out into the field.

"Hey, what should we play today?" Rose, a Budew, asked.

"Let's play in the mud!" Chen jumped.

"Yuck! I don't want to!" Marie said, turning her head, "It's unladylike to get all muddy! Smooch!"

"I brought some Gummis. Would you guys like one?" J spoke up.

"Yay!" The three cheered, each taking one.

"Yay! Gummis!" Chen sang, nomming on a Blue Gummi.

"Gummis are tasty... You're the best, J!" Rose said, smiling as she bit into a Grass Gummi, a Purple Gummi on standby.

"Yay! I love gummis! Thanks, J!" Marie said, chewing a Gold Gummi with a Clear one in her hands.

"Hey! You guys!" The group turned to the voice.

"You guys! What are you doing there?" A Banette and a Skorupi walked up.

"Them?!" Chen said.

"The bullies, Spite and Sting!" Marie said, angry.

"Oh! Hey, J. You've got Gummis?" Spite, the Banette spoke up.

"Give us some Gummis too." Sting, the Skorupi said.

"Lots. Bunches. Heaps of them." Spite practically cackled.

"Yep, sure~! Friendly friends~!" J sang, giving them some Gummis.

"Why is J making friends with those bullies?" Marie muttered worriedly.

"I sometimes play with Spite's group..." Chen said, "But they always boss me around... And if you cross them, they're really mean..." Chen sniffed.

"Maybe J is'nt scared of those two?" Rose said.

"Gummis are so delicious!" Spite said, _'It's kind of weird that this guy isn't the slightest bit scared of us...'_

"Yeah, they are so yummy~!" Sting sung out, _'...I don't care if he isn't scared of us as long as we can boss him around! Heh-heh-heh!'_

"That's all my Gummis." J said, looking a little sad.

"Ah... Doesn't J realize he's being played by Spite?" Rose murmured.

"I hate that! I won't forgive this!" Marie said, very angry.

Rose and Chen stopped her, "Y-you shouldn't get involved!" Chen said, "They're really big and scary!"

Marie sniffled, "Hey, everyone." The two turned to Rose, "We should go talk to J's Mama. She'll know what to do." The group nodded and ran off.

That night, Mama and Papa were talking.

"Hey, Papa. I've been worried about something..." Mama said.

"Huh? What is it, Mama?"

"I heard from J's friends today... J is being manipulated by some bullies." Mama said.

"Some bullies?"

"Yeah. J's friends came to talk to me about it... Hey, Papa. You don't think he'd become like them, do you? Mama fretted, "Sometimes I really have no clue what that child is thinking. So I'm a little worried..."

Papa frowned, "Yeah... That does seem troublesome. But..." Papa smiled, "But I think it's all right. J is so cheerful.. No matter how he may seem, deep down, he has a good heart. Besides... Didn't we have this discussion before... Back when... I climbed that mountain with J. On our way home...

_"When J and I returned from climbing the mountain. We found ourselves stuck in a sudden storm."_

Papa and J walked down the mountain when lightning rumbled and some rocks fell, "S-so...scary..." J said, stopping and shaking.

Papa ran to him, "Are you all right?! J?"

"Y-yeah..."

Lightning flashed and more rocks fell, "Can you feel that? THe storm is causing the ground to shake!" Papa was worried, "We need to get off this mountain quickly. It's to dangerour to be here. Let's hurry."

The twosome hurried as fast as they could, but lightning flashed again, causing more rocks to fall and J to start crying.

"J!"

_"And right then. This huge boulder started to fall, right above me!"_

Papa ducked and covered J with himself, _'It's no good! We're going to be crushed!'_

_"Just when I though that!"_

"YOOM...TAH!" A bright light flashed and the boulder was destroyed.

_"Somehow the boulder was smashed to pieces. We weren't crushed by the boulder... Somehow, we were saved."_

"I'm not sure what happened, and I don't know exactly what it was... But I'm sure that it was J that saved us. Of that, I am certain. That kid has some kind of mysterious power. He doesn't just have some strong power. When people are in trouble... That's when it appears. I get the feeling this power is full of his kindness for others. I do understand your concerns, Mama... But I think we should trust our childe a little more, okay?"

Mama sighed, "...Yes. You're right... I'm sorry, Papa. He'll be okay. After all, he is our son~!" Mama chuckled.

"Yeah. It's a good thing to be concerned about, Mama, so don't worry. That is, the fact you were concerned about, Mama... It just shows how much you truely care about J...right?" Papa murmured.

"Yeah. Thank you, Papa~!"

_The next morning..._

"Good morning!" J sang as he woke up.

"Good morning!" Papa said happily.

"Good morning, J~!" Mama almost sang.

"I'm off~!" J sang as he opened the door.

"Goodbye, J!" His parents said as he left the house.

Back at the field though.

"HUH?!" Marie jumped back.

"You want to play explorers?!" Chen almost shouted.

"Yeah, let's play explorers." Spite said.

"We want to become an exploration team in the future." Sting explained, "So we should go out an explore unknown areas! What do you think? It's great, right?"

"So... This unknown place, "Rose started, "Where are we going?"

"Hmm. That's a good question. You'd make a good apprentice explorer, Rose. We decided on a place... Murky Forest." Spite said.

"What?!" Chen yelled, "M-Murky Forest?! Is that what you said?!"

"Smooches! No way! I don't want to! Going into that forest is not allowed at all! My mommy even said so!" Marie cried out.

"There's even a rumor that a big, scary monster lives in the forest. Why do you even want to go there?" Rose asked.

"Doesn't it seem like the type of place exploration teams would go?" Spite muttered, "Don't tell me... Does that mean your scared to go?"

The three children denied it visiously. Marie left before things got out of hand. Chen and Rose soon left as well.

"What's this? They're all a bunch of cowards." Spite murmured then he noticed that J was still there.

"I'll go!" J said, jumping.

Spite grinned, for once looking like the child he was, "Okay group! Line up!" J and Sting did just that, "From now on, we're an exploration teaqm headed for Murky Forest! Gather up your courage and let's go!"

"Yeah!" The other two cheered.

The group smiled and left off towards the forest. The forest was dark and spooky, but it wasn't even close to scary. You just felt a little jumpy there.

"We... We've come pretty far..." Spite said towards the end of the forest, "It's a really dark place, this is..."

Sting looked sad, "Oooh..."

"Huh? What's wrong, Sting?"

"B-but... This is the place everyone says you're not supposed to go... The... The depths of the forest... And the rumor that there's a terrible monster living here..." Sting muttered.

"What is it? Are you suddenly afraid now that we're here?" Spie said, "You're making me start to feel scared..."

Waves crashing could be heard nearby as a salty breeze blew through the forest, "Scary... There's something here though..." Sting said.

"Don't... Don't say that you... You coward!" Spite cried.

"W-what is it?! Now that you say it... Spite, you're really scared, aren't you!" Sting accused.

Spite looked like he was going to cry, "S-scared? Me... Wh-what nonsense!"

"Don't pretend to be tough!" Sting said, "Even while you're talking, I can see tears welling up in your eyes!"

Spite swallowed, "N-no, that's not true. That's just not true. I-I-'ll show you I'm not scared!" Spite went up as close to the bushes lining the small clearing as he was willing to go, "Hey! Hey, you terrible monster! Can you hear me?!"

"Wh-what!" Sting murmured.

"I'm the great Spite! I'm an explorer! We've come to beat you! So quit hiding and come on out!"

Nothing. Only the wind blowing and the waves crashing somewhere, "...It's...not coming out..." Sting muttered.

"...Wh-what's this... Not here... I-I knew it. I knew it all along-from the start. I knew it was just a simple rumor. Nothing more. There was no monster here... There never was one." Spite said before laughing.

"I-is that so..." Sting laughed too, making J laugh as well.

"All right. I guess this exploration is done." Spite stated, nodding, "Everyone, let's go home!"

Sting cheered with J. As they were leaving, a growl reveberated.

"...Did you just hear something?" Spite murmured.

"Some... I think I heard some kind of growl..." Sting muttered.

**Guuuuurrrroowwww!**

The growl was much louder, and closer, "Hey, you over there!" A voice growled, "Didn't you say you were an exploration team?!" The bushes shook heavily.

Spite gulped and started crying, "Get out of here! Coming in!" An Armaldo ran in, angered, "I don't know who in the world you think you are!" He growled loudly, scaring Spite and Sting.

Spite and Sting ran off, hoping to Arceus that J was following, "What's this? A bunch of kids... Huh? Weren't there more of you? You too, Junior! You better run away quick!" Armaldo shouted, trying to scare J. He growled loudly, not doing anything more then trying to be intimidating, "If you stay here, something bad will happen!" And he growled again.

J just stared, "...Hey, mister. What are you doing here, mister?"

Armaldo froze, "Aren't... Aren't you scared? Aren't you scared of me?!

J just bounced, "Nope~! Not scared~!" J sang, "So what are you doing here anyway, mister?"

Armaldo sweat dropped, his eye twitching, "He...he's a strange little fellow..." He muttered.

J bounced closer, "Hey, tell me? Tell, tell..."

Armaldo twitched, "I told you to go home!"

J was right in front of Armaldo now, "If you answer me, I'll go home. Answer, answer..."

Armaldo was starting to get frustrated, "No way! Go home!"

"A short answer is fine. Finally fine."

Armaldo started to back away from the seemingly insane childe, "Ugh... You're persistent...I guess I've got no choice. I'll tell you a little. Come with me." He walked off, J following him while cheering.

They reached a small cave, "Oh! There's an opening in the rock here, deep in the forest!"

Armaldo sighed, defeated, "We're going in."

Inside, it was warm and very homely. A fire was lit and crackling inside the cave. A bed was off to one corner with a roll of paper atop it. There were some crates filled with berries and a red and tan bag sat atop a pile of stones.

"Wow! Amazing!" J cheered, "Secret base! Secret base~!" He sang, dancing about.

Armaldo sweat dropped, "Not quite. It's not a secret base, it's just my home..." J turned to him, "My name is Shjin. I used to be an explorer... But not anymore, because of one thing... I've taken a break from exploring... And so I spend my days here."

J blinked and bounced, "So, what's exploring?"

Shjin blinked, "Huh? You don't know about exploring? Exploring is...so much fun... It's incredibly exciting." Shjin sounded so wistfull.

"So much fun... Incredibly exciting?" J repeated.

"That's right." Shjin nodded, "Distant lands, uncharted territory... You visit many remarkable places... And solve the mysteries you find there."

J's eyes sparkled, "Really?"

Shjin nodded, "And you get to bring back treasure and fortune with you."

"Oh?! That's so cool~!" J said in awe.

"And..." Shjin continued, "You have to keep at it, working hard and overcoming difficulties, until you finally achieve your dreams. For example..." Shjin picked up the paper scroll from his bed and brought it back to J, "For example, this secret map."

Shjin handed the map to J, "Open it a take a look." J did just that, "This seems to be a map that indicates the location of some treasure... Study it closely. It doesn't really make sense, does it?" Shjin really should have been paying attention to J, "If I don't figure out the cipher, then I'll never be able to uncover the location of the treasure."

"Huh?" J muttered, studying the map closer. Shjin should really pay attention to him now.

"But you're just a kid, you wouldn't know anything about this... I've been working on this one for a long time, but I haven't been able to figure it out yet." Shjin shouldn't have turned his back to J, "However, I'm not giving up! I can't!" J just stuck the end of the map into the fire, "I know that if I can overcome this challenge, there will be a future! That's the adventure of exploration..."

Shjin turned back to J, still mono-logging as the end of the map finally caught fire, "Its thrill! Its essence! Its never-ending attraction!" Shjin froze, seeing the map on fire, "...Hey!"

"Ha ha ha~! Burned it, burned it~!"

"H-hey! Junior! What are you doing! Knock it off!" He snatched the map before running back and forth, "Hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot HOT hot hot hot hot hot hot HOT hot hot hot hot hot hot HOT HOT HOT hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot HOT hot hot hot hot hot hot HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT!"

He juggled the map back and forth, "Water! WATER!" He pause for a moment, "! Oh yeah! Water Gun!" A blast of water put out the fire of the map. The map fell to the ground, the front chared black, "Ah oh... Ah oh... My... My precious secret map..." Shjin was almost crying, "It's... It's charred..."

J hopped over to the map, pointing at it, "Look~!"

"What?" Shjin sighed.

"Underneath the charred parts... You can see something. If you brush away the charred parts, can you see anything special?" J brushed the charred black top off to reveal a clean map.

Shjin was shocked, "Wh-what?"

J picked the map up and held it open, "...Right here... Isn't there something written here? Right, written~!"

Shjin leaned in to read the map, "Eastern... Ca...ve... Eastern Cave?! R-really?! Is it true there's treasure there?!"

J nodded, "Yep! I knew it~!" J laughed loudly.

Shjin looked at the childe, "That is... How did you know? How did you figure out this map's secret?"

J smiled, "When I looked at the map, I saw it was really thick. So I figured that there must be two layers to it. But I didn't think there was any other way to peel off the top layer. So I thought I'd burn it off~!"

Shjin blinked in shock, _'Th-this kid... I've been working on that puzzle for so long, and he solved it, just like that... That is, this kid... Just like that...'_

"So if you go to this Eastern Cave, would you find treasure there?" J drew back Shjin's attention, "Please take me with you~! I want to go and see~!"

Shjin tensed, "B-but I'm... I'm a retired explorer... I can't just jump back in..."

"Huh? Don't you like exploring?" J asked, "I mean... Earlier, it sounded like you really enjoyed talking about it. And you were working so hard on the secret of that map... If you don't go, it will be a waste~!"

_'Th-that's... It's true that it would be a waste not to go after solving the map's riddle... But I'm hesitant to leave here... Maybe I wouldn't attract to much attention with a little trip to Eastern Cave. All right!'_ Shjin turned to J, "Hey, Junior. You made a good point. We'll go!"

J stared up at Shjin, eyes hopeful , "R-really?"

Shjin chuckled, "Yes, really. But it's a little to late to start today. Your mom and dad are probably worried. Today, you should go home... Tomorrow, we'll head out."

J bounced, "Yep~! Thank you~! All right! Let's do our best tomorrow~! Yeah~!"

_The next morning..._

J headed off to Shjin's shelter and arrived there on good time. His friends had questioned him about going exploring with the bullies and he had said it was fun. They had been shocked to hear he was going back into Murky Forest. Even Spite and Sting were surprised to see him going back there.

Shjin had been happy to see him again though, "Good morning~!" J had sung upon reaching him.

"There you are, Junior." Shjin grinned at the cute kid.

"Quick! Let's go!" Shjin stopped him.

"Wait! I need to get some supplies first." J had nodded and waited until Shjin came back with supplies and they headed off to Eastern Cave. The cave was easy to get through and Shjin was surprised that J was so strong.

"...We've come pretty far... The treasure... I wonder where it is..." Shjin murmured.

"Oh!" J said exictedly, "Can you see that light over there?!"

Shjin smiled, "Let's go check it out!" And they hurried towards the light they saw.

"Wooooahhhh~! Amaaaazing~!" J said upon entering the room.

"Wh-what's...this?!" Shjin was a bit frightened. The whole room was one big trap. An unsolved puzzled lay in the center between two giant, spiked crushers, two crystals, and two odd pillars. If you managed to dodge that, you would be impaled by spikes infront of the door. If you got past that? Two crushing logs on either side of the door.

"Wow!" J cheered, "This is so amazing~! There's another door on the frint here. I think the treasure's past that door, don't you?"

J bounced, "Hurry! Let's go! Let's go~!"

"W-wait! Junior!" Shjin made the over excitable Pokemon stop.

"Whaaat?" J whined.

"Didn't you notice the design of this room? Look carefully! There's some kind of trick to it!" Shjin warned.

"Trick?" J repeated.

"Yes. I'm pretty sure that there will be treasure behind that door, but... The trouble is, we need to find out how to open that door. Look above the door. You see that sumbol that looks kind of like an eye? I think if we put some kind of rock or something in there, something will probably happen... But... There's two giant logs on both sides... And those little openings in the floor caught my attention... That pillar over there. And a weird switch along the groove... If we move that pillar onto the switch in the floor, somthing's gonna happen... This is a pretty common layout... This kind of trap is usually easy to identify."

Shjin sighed, "And... These spike here on the wall... Look at them-they've definitely caught my attention... What's this crystal here? If you hit this crystal, something's gonna happen. The crystal's color will probably change and something will come up from the floor...or something... I think that's how it works. And this... It looks like this contraption is important somehow... It's pretty suspicious to find such a puzzleing thing in a place like this. The more I think about it, the more it seems like someone has gone to an awful lot of trouble to keep peope out... It takes a trained eye to spy out all these ingenious devices."

J jumped, "I see! So we should go around and try everything~!"

Shjin froze, "N-no! That might prevent the door from ever opening! There are traps too!"

J huffed, "Is that so? I see..."

"Anyway... This room is full of dangers. We really need to proceed with caution here." Shjin warned.

"Yep. Got it! Yay~!" J went right up to the door.

"Wh-what?!" Shjin said in shock.

"YOOM...TAAAH!" A bright light filled the room, flashing. A loud crash sounded and the light vanished. Shjin's jaw dropped. The door was destroyed, but it was open.

"I did it~! I opened it!" J sang as Shjin walked up to him.

"Wh-what the...?!" Shjin was shocked. What had happened?!

"Hurry! Let's go~!" J sang.

Shjin sweat dropped, _'What in the world IS this kid?!'_

"Hey, hurry~!" J bounced.

"G-got it." Shjin said, still a little shell shocked.

The twosome entered the room. It was made out of white stone with pillars holding the cieling up. There was a single blue and silver treasure chest in the room.

"Oh! There's a treasure chest over there!" The two went over two it, "Hey, open it and see~! Hurry, hurry~!"

Shjin nodded and opened the chest slowly. Inside was a Defend Globe. Shjin was shocked again, "Th-this...is...!"

"Wow~! So cool~!" J said, "What is this?" He asked.

"This is a Defend Globe." Shjin said.

"A Defend Blode?" J asked, meanwhile cheering inside. He bounced off, dancing around the room.

"Oh... It's very valuable... It's a very hard to find item... It's an Exclusive Item for bug type Pokemon." Then Shjin noticed J wasn't listening, "...Hey! Aren't you listening to what I'm saying?!"

J grinned, "It's all right~! I heard you~! I don't really understand... But it's really cool~! We did it~!" J bounced a little, giggling.

Shjin sighed, _'Wh-what is this...? He's so happy...He doesn't even know the value of the item, but he's just so ridiculously happy...'_

"We did it~! We did it~! Yay, yay~!"

Shjin though on, _'Hmm... He showed a powerful intuition in getting that door open earlier... This kid is...'_ J was still cherring as he danced, _'This kid... I don't really get his personality...He radiates an unknown, infathomable quality...I'm guessing...this kid has an amazing natural talent or something... For explorers...this is an unbelievable advantage...'_

"Hey, exploring is so much fun~! I had no idea~!" J cheered before stopping, "Oh yeah! Master!"

Shjin tilted his head in confusion, "M-master? Me?!"

"Yep, that's right! The exploration master." J bowed, looking more like a squished pancake then anything, "Master, I have a request! Please... Please take me on as your apprentice!"

Shjin was, once again, shocked, "M-my...apprentice?! N-no! I'll pass. I don't really see myself taking care of someone else as an apprentice. And besides, I quit exploring! It's to late for me to do anything like that!"

J looked up, "But... Today you came out on this exploration, didn't you? You did, didn't you? Master..."

"Err..."

"This is the first time I've had so much fun. It's like I've changed somehow. I want to keep exploring~!...That is...I'd like to keep exploring. Please! Take me on as your apprentice, Master! Master! Please!" J bowed again.

"Umm..." _'Wow, he's even kneeling on the floor. He's sure intent on this request... However, he's so round... It's hard to tell if he's kneeling on the floor or not... Wh-what should I do? It would be extremely risky if I started exploring as part of a team again... But this kid has so much potential, it's amazing. I'd love to see just how far this kid could go as an explorer... Being together is a little annoying... But I have another feeling as well... It's really caught my attention... I think I could start exploring again, as long as it was with him. All right.'_

Shjin walked up to J, "I've got it. You can be my apprentice."

J jumped up, "R-really?!"

"But... My training is very strict! If you won't go along with me, then we're through!" Shjin said delighting the childe with him.

"Yay! I did it! Thank you~! Yay yay yay!" The little pink puffball danced around Shjin as he cheered.

_And so... Master recognized me as an apprentice... And he returned to being an explorer... And so Master and I went out on explorations together._

J laughed loudly and jovially as he bounced around, "I'm looking forward to you taking care of me~! Master~!"

Shjin smiled, feeling happy for the first time in a long time, "Taking care of you..." He froze, "Hey, wait! The way you're acting, I don't know if we'll be doing anything together..."

J turned in place, looking something like a spinning ball, "Don't be so strict, Master~!" And he laughed happily again.

"How are we going to be an exploration team if you start off acting like that? Hey!" Shjin growled out.

"Ah ha ha! I'm so happy~!" J just kept laughing while Shjin sweat dropped.

_I've had so much fun since Master took me on as an apprentice~!_

"Okay! I'm off!" J said happily as his parents called out a goodbye.

_I would head off to Master's house soon after I got up every morning... We would open up the map and look for a place to explore._

"Hey, Master... Let's go explore this place today~! This place...labled 'The End of the World'~!" A tick mark appeared of Shjin's head.

"Come on! There is no way we could go to such a place!" And he snatched the map from a laughing J.

_We'd decide where to go explore like two old friends... And then head out exploring right away!_

They were in a sunny, grassy field in a forest, "Wow! Treasure! Treasure~!"

"Don't be so happy-go-lucky! There might be a trap!" He warned as they stepped forward, only for him to fall down a deep pit hidden under the grass, "Uwaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"M-Master! Master! Master!" J sat for a second, "It's all right. I can rescue him later~!" J sang as he just left him and opened the treasure chest on a huge tree stump.

_Master and I made a great team and we found a bunch of treasure! Just like that, we... Went on one successful exploration after another~!_

_Then... A few moths later..._

J and Shjin were in a huge, treasure filled room, "Wow! Amazing! There's so much treasure, Master!" J sang.

"All right. Let's take it all back with us." Shjin nodded.

"All right~!" J ran in, checking a couple chests.

_'He's really something, this kid. We've been exploring together for a while... I've never seen anyone with a natural sense for exploring like him. I'm sure... I'm sure that this kid...is some kind of exploration prodigy.'_

"Master, what are you doing? Hurry, hurry!" J rushed.

"Y-yeah... I'm on my way." Shjin murmured.

As they were leaving J started a talk, "We found a lot today, didn't we? Hee hee~! Success, success~!" J sang happily, "Hey, Master." Shjin turned to the kid, "Where are we going tomorrow?"

Shjin blinked, "Wh-what? We just finished today's exploration and already your talking about tomorrow's? You're getting a little ahead of yourself. That said... I'll bet tomorrow's location will be even better to us than today's."

J bounce a little, "R-really?!"

Shjin nodded, smiling, "Yes. Tomorrow, we're going to Fortune Ravine... Rumor has it that there's a lot of treasure there."

"A-amazing! I can't wait~!" J cheered, "Let's go tomorrow! Definitely~!"

"Yeah." Shjin murmured before looking around, "Will you be all right getting home from here by yourself?" He asked.

"Yep~! I'm fine!"

"All right, see you at my place tomorrow. And then we'll head to Fortune Ravine." Shjin said.

"Yep!" J bounced off, saying goodbye to his 'Master' as he went.

"Phew. Same as ever... He's always so cheerful. Cheerful is good, but..." Shjin sweat dropped, "He's so cheerful that it tires me right out. Phew... I should go home. I'm exhausted, but I have to admit cheerfulness is kind of contagious. Phew." Shjin walked off as a Nidoking came out of hiding.

"That Pokémon... That Pokémon... Was that..."

_The next morning..._

"I'm off!" J called as his parents bid him farewell. He left his home and headed for Shjin's shelter. Upon arriving, J grinned widely when he saw Shjin standing outside his shelter.

"Good morning, Master~!" He sang.

"Oh hi, Junior. Before you got here, I was doing some research on Fortune Ravine... It's a lot harder than any of the dungeon's we've visited so far. Even with my strength...it will probably be difficult." Shjin informed.

"Huh? So we're not going?" J asked, a bit shocked.

"Maybe, maybe not." Shjin sighed, "I'm concerned about what to do."

"Let's go~!" J sang, "It will be fine, I know~! Together, Master and I are invincible~! It's all right, all right~!" J sang, nearly dancing.

Shjin smiled at the kid. He'd really grown attached to him, _'That's right... No thanks to me... This kid is an exploration prodigy... If I tried to go alone, I couldn't do it... But if he's with me.' _"All right. I agree. Let's go. To Fortune Ravine." Shjin finalized.

"M-Master! I knew we were going to go! That's my Master~!" J sang out.

"Let me just get some supplies first." Shjin murmured.

"All right~!" J bounced in place and once the Armaldo was finished, the two left towards the ravine.

_Just then... At J's house on the prairie..._

Mama and Papa were talking when a voice called, "J~! Let's play~!"

"Oh!" Mama started, "It's Marie and everyone." Mama and Papa came outside, shocking the kids.

Rose spoke first, "Oh! It's J's Mama!"

"I'm sorry. J isn't here today either. You're aways inviting him to join you. It's not very nive of him to always be to busy." Mama sighed.

"By the way, J's Mama." Marie spoke up.

"What is it, Marie?" She asked.

"Is it true that J goes to play in Murky Forest every day?" Marie asked.

Mama froze, "What! In Murky Forest!? I-is that true, Marie?"

"We don't really know... But that's what we heard." Marie muttered.

Chen sighed, "It looks like his Mama doesn't know, either."

Rose looked trodden, "If it's true... I wonder if J's okay... Going to that place to play all the time..."

Chen looked up, "Hey, Spite!" He called.

Spite and Sting came over, "Hey, Spite. Have you seen J?" Marie asked.

"J? Oh. Isn't J still going to Murky Forest?" He said.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Everyone cried.

"We've seen him go in there several times." Sting spoke up, "To be going to that scary place... Honestly, I don't really get him. J, I mean.

"Oh... I just saw him a little while ago... That scary-looking guy deep in the forest... J seems to have made friends with him or something?" Spite said, a questioning lilt to his tone.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Everyone cried again.

"I wonder if he's all right. Being with that scary guy, I mean." Spite murmured.

Mama was really worried, "P-Papa...Papa..."

Suddenly, another voice called out, "Can I talk to you for a moment?" Everyone turned to see a Nidoking walk up, "Your conversation... Can you tell me a bit more about it. please? Hey, you."

Everyone turned to Spite next, "M-me?"

"That part about where you said there's a scary-looking guy deep in the forest... What's he look like?" The Nidoking asked.

"H-he looks like... He's got big claws...and a shell that looks like armor... I don't know, but he just looks really scary, you know?" Spite answered.

"...I'll bet it's him... It's gotta be." Nidoking muttered.

Papa stepped forward a little, "Um... Who are you?"

That surprised the Nidoking, "My apologies for not introducing myself. I am Johnson. I'm an explorer."

"An explorer?" Papa questioned.

"Yes." Johnson nodded, " I should introduce myself properly. The truth is, I am..."

A little time later, Johnson had explained.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Everyone cried once again.

"R-really?!" Chen said.

"We... W've got a problem!" Marie yelled.

Back with J, they had gotten a bit through Fortune Ravine, and still no luck on reaching the end, "Master, where is this?" J asked.

"This is a dungeon waypoint. It connects to the depths of Fortune Ravine. It's a waypoint area." Shjin explained.

"I see~!" J stated, "So we'll be in the depths soon then~!"

Shjin nodded, "That's right... I'm sure of it... While we're on the subject of waypoints in dungeons... Finding a waypoint usually means that the dungeon is very long and it's a good idea to rest there for a while."

"Rest... a while?" J repeated.

"Yes. Most of the time, a dungeon with a waypoint has a boss at the end, or it's just very long." Shjin comfirmed.

"Boss?" J asked.

"Yes, that's right. If there's a boss in the dungeon, tread carefully. They might missunderstand and attack, thinking you're trying to take territory. They probably won't listen to you." Shjin explained more before they continued onward.

At the end was a big room with four giant torches inside, "This is...?" J started.

"This seems to be the deepest part of the dungeon." Shjin answered, "Make sure you're prepared. You don't know what awaits you ahead."

J looked ahead, "Oh! There's a door over there!" In the middle of the torches, J paused, "There's torches burning all around... Master, is there some kind of trick to opening the door here too?" J asked.

"You've really learned a lot, Junior. That's right. These torches must provide the solution to the puzzle of opening the door. Furthermore, this is a very common type of puzzle."

"What should we do?"

"It's simple. If we blow out all the torches, the door will open. Watch!" Shjin turned and blasted a Water Gun at each of the torches, putting them out.

The room rumbled and Shjin smiled. Until a trap door opened below them, "Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"

The two landed roughly and Shjin was wincing in pain. J was all right though, "Master, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah. How are you, Junior?" He asked back.

"I'm okay... Oh, for pity's sake... We seem to have fallen into a pit!" J said, looking up through the darkness.

"P-pit... Is that what this is? This hole..." Shjin muttered.

"Hey, Master."

"What is it?

"Those torches... It seems like the weren't to open the door... Thruth is, they were to open the pit... It was some kind of trap~!" J sang in a gloating tone.

"T-trap?"

"But if this really is a trap... It's so dark, I can't see a thing... Truth is... We seem to have landed ourselves in a difficult position~!" J sang as a growl echoed, "Hey! I can hear something~! It seems like something's getting closer~!"

"Y-you... How can you stay so calm?" Shjin questioned.

A sparkly eyed J answered him, "I'm not calm. I'm incredibly...excited~!" The growl echoed louder and the lights came on.

"UWAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" Shjin yelled, "It's a...Monster House!"

"They're here~!" J bounced, "Let's do our best, Master!"

"Don't we always!" Shjin growled, getting into a fighting stance, "Don't ever let yourself be caught unprepared, Junior!"

The battle with the two of them against six enemies, hey were tired, "Phew... We just barely beat them..." Shjin gestured to the beaten pile of Pokémon with an Exploud, Camerupt, Yanmega, Vespiquen, Claydol, and a Probopass.

J however, was looking elsewhere, "I think I see some kind of light over there." There was a rather large tunnel leading out of the pit.

"Let's go check it out." Shjin said and they followed the path to some ruins.

"Uwaaahhh~!" J looked on in awe as he looked around, "Hey, Master. This is outside~!"

"It looks like once you leave the ravine, it connects to this place." Shjin glanced around as well, "Among the rocks and stones... I can see some crumbled pillars and what looks like a stone wall. Don't tell me this is..."

J looked ahead, "Oh! Master! Look over there!" He said.

Shjin looked where J was looking. Ruins were in the distance, surounded by crumbled walls and pillars, "I can see some kind of ruins in the distance... I knew it. This is...an ancient city that's been buried by time, I believe."

"Hey, Master! I bet there's a bunch of treasure over there~!" J said, eyes sparkling, "Hurry, let's go~! So excited~!"

"Oh." Shjinmuttered as they took a step forward.

"Wait!" The two froze and turned to see Johnson the Nidoking, "I've finally found you, Shjin! My name is Johnson! I'm an explorer."

Shjin froze and tensed, "What... What did you say?"

Spite, Sting, Mama, Papa, Marie, Rose, Chen, and the police were there soon enough, "Oh! Papa! Mama!" J said, "And everyone!"

"A-are you all right, J?!" Mama was panicking, "You're not hurt?!"

J gave her a questioning look, "I'm fine, Mama. Why? Friend, friends... What's with everyone?"

Marie shouted out, "J! Listen carefully! Over there... The Pokémon next to you, J, is... An outlaw!"

"What?" J asked, "An outlaw?"

Chen shouted this time, "A bad guy! That's what that Pokémon is!"

"Master is...a bad guy...?" J looked confused.

"That's right." Johnson said, "This guy-Shjin-is a Pokémon we've been chasing for a while. In order to catch Shjin, I came here."

Officer Magnezone floated up, "ZZZT! Johnson is telling the truth. ZZZT! ZZZT! Shjin is a 'B' rank outlaw... We've been searching the entire region for him. ZZZT! ZZZT! As soon as we heard from Johnson, we came running. ZZZT!"

J looked trodden, "...Th-that..."

"So." Johnson started, "Let the kid go, Shjin."

Shjin was quiet, "..."

J spoke, stopping Shjin as he started walking forward, "...It's a lie... It can't be true..."

Officer Magnezone and the Magnemite with him surounded Shjin while Johnson went to a tearful J, "Kid. It's all right." Johnson turned to Shjin, "To drag a kid into this... You're the lowest."

"N-no!" J shouted, "I asked him! And..." Tears filled J's eyes, "Master isn't a bad Pokémon!"

"ZZZT! All right, let's finish this! ZZZT!" Officer Magnezone said, getting ready to take Shjin away.

"S-stop..." Thick, heavy tears were dripping down J's face as his words wavered, "Please... Listen to me..."

"Hurry up! Move it!" Johnson said, shoving Shjin.

The ground shook and rumbled as J started crying harder, "Whoa. What... What is this?!" One of the Magnemite said, startled.

"Yoo... Yooo..." J was sobbing.

"Th-the ground... Is it shaking?" Johnson said. He lept out of the way as several explosions occured. Officer Magnezone nearly screamed.

"YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM..."

**"WAIT! STOP IT! JUNIOR!"** Everything suddenly settled down.

"...Huh?"

"I'm asking you! Stop, please!" Shjin said.

"M-master..."

"If you blast Johnson and Magnezone... You'll become a bay guy too, and then what will you do?! So please stop now!" Shjin was nearly in tears, but he obviously hid them.

"But-Master isn't a bad Pokémon! I've been with you this long, I know that!" Fat tears still dripped down the childe's cheeks as he spoke.

"Officer Magnezone." Shjin spoke.

"ZZZT! Yes. ZZZT!"

"Could you give me a minute? It's all right. I won't try to run." Shjin looked defeated.

"ZZZT! ...Understood. ZZZT!"

Shjin walked up to the crying childe and pat him on the head, "I'm sorry, Junior. Just like Johnson said... I'm an outlaw. I'm a bad guy."

J jumped and shouted, "That... That's not true!"

"Listen, Junior." Shjin said, "I am an outlaw and they were searching the entire region for me. To avoid getting caught... I've been running, running, running. And I took a break in Murky Forest. I started that rumor about Murky Forest. The rumor that a monster lurked deep in the darkness. Because of that, nobody came out there... So I though I wouldn't get caught. That's how I took shelter in Murky Forest. I meant to tell you the truth much sooner... But I just couldn't bring myself to... I'm sorry."

"M-master..."

"Anyway. I am a bad guy. But... You're different. So you... You can't be with me."

J jumped, "But-Haven't we had so much fun together?! I thought you were going to teach me even more as we kept on exploring!" The tears that had stopped filled J's eyes again, "If Master disappears... I'll... What will I do..."

Shjin sighed, "Junior. Did you enjoy exploring?"

J sniffled, "Yeah..."

"So... Become an amazing explorer someday, for me. Don't be a blockhead like me. You've got a gift for exploring. So you should...do your best to be an amazing explorer for me."

"M-Master..."

Officer Magnezone inturupted, "ZZZT! It's about time. ZZZT!"

Shjin turned and started to walk away, "D-don't go!"

Shjin turned around once more, "Junior. I really enjoyed exploring with you these past few days. I knew there was a danger of being caught like this... But... Despite that risk, we went on explorations... And when you were with me, I had a lot of fun. This was the first time I ever really enjoyed exploring. And you are the one who has shown me how fun it can be. Thank you very much."

Tears streamed down J's face, "...Master... Don't... I don't want you to go..."

"Junior. Do try to understand. I have to answer for the things I've done. But when I've finished... Then, if I still feel the same... I'll become an explorer. I don't know when that will be... But when that day comes... When that day comes... I'd like to go exploring with you again." Shjin didn't bother hiding his tears anymore.

"It's... It's a promise!" A crying J said.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting." Shjin walked away, escorted by the officer's and Johnson.

"Master!" J shouted, "Master!"

Shjin smiled and threw something to J, "Take this!" It was a small, round object that shone in the light, "Be seeing you." And he was gone.

"MASTER!" J fell down, sobbing his little heart out. His parents and friends comforted him, but he still cried.

_The last thing Master gave me... Was the thing we found on the first exploration Master and I went on..._

_A Defend Globe._

"I see..." Cher murmured, eyes a little tearful, "The story of your exploration goes back all the way to your childhood..."

"Yes." J said, nodding, "That's why this Defend Globe is my starting point."

"...And, Guildmaster, you Master... After that, what happened to him?"

J smiled, "Oh, many things happened to him. After all... He is my only Master~! We'll save those stories for another time~! I'm to tired for more today." Cher sweat dropped, "You know... Whenever I look at this Defend Globe, I think of him. It's my starting point in becoming an explorer. And..."

_Of course, there are lots of outlaws in this world... They are caught and punished, but... But..._

_Truly bad Pokemon... Don't really exist anywhere._

**(A/N Now I'm sobbing. This is my favorite Special Episode... I would type out the credit roll, but I can barely see to edit out mistakes in this. My eyes are all watery. Why is it, almost no other game can make me cry, but give either this Special Episode, or the final Special episode along side any Mystery Dungeon game and I cry like a baby? I don't know, but remember. There is a hidden message here. Always cherish the days you have with your loved ones. This is something most seem to forget about, but I always remember it with these Pokemon games. Kind of sad how Pokemon can make me remember an important lessan, but reading it from a boring book, that won't do. Whatever... Caee out...)**


	12. Dusknoir

**Crash, Boom, KA-BOOM!**

"Talking"

'Random Emotion = Decieving'

_'Thinking'_

_Flashback_

_Narrator Talking_

_Congratulations!_

_Team NightLight went up in rank from the Silver Rank to the Gold Rank! The number of items that can be kept in storage has been increased from 200 to 320. For advancing __in rank, the team was awarded with one Ginseng!_

_Team NightLight has gotten used to missions again, as well as being back together. They are now allowed to do normal missions further away from the guild with extreme caution..._

_The Next Morning..._

The team awoke early again again stretched. Caee scratched at the new scar on her stomach, now covered in a thick layer of fresh fur. The scar still burned sometimes, but only if she bumped it on something. She even had a scar over her right eye and across her lower back, making it impossible to ever learn Iron Tail, like she had been planning.

Suzuki, however, had a large scar across his back and on his tail, but other then that, they had both made a full recovery. They were afraid of Pokemon ten feet or taller now, and for a good reason.

Heat made them fear for something horrible, but that was easy to ignore during missions. They missed the morning assembly, but no one was upset. It had only been a month since they awoke, but they would have to get used to some things again slowly. Everyone in the guild was now more overprotective then ever of the youngsters, but everything was still dandy.

"WHAAAT?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T IDENTIFY THE FOOTPRINT?!" Except for that...

"I'm telling you! I don't know what I don't know!" After some banter between Loudred and Team NightLight, they heard Diglett speaking again.

"Hmm? What's that? You want to see our Guildmaster? Your name is...Dusknoir?! Oh! Please wait just a moment!"

"Dus...Dusknoir?!" Chatot squawked.

"The world-famous Dusknoir?!" Loudred muttered in amazment.

Later, the mysterious, lone explorer, Dusknoir was standing, or floating, before Wigglytuff, "Thank you for visiting! What an honor!" Wigglytuff said jovially.

Dusknoir shook his head, "No, no! Think nothing of it! The honor is all mine! There is no greater pleasure then visiting Wigglytuff's Guild! It's famous!"

Suzuki and Caee stood, peeking from behind Toge at Dusknoir, eyes wide, "I know who he is but he is scary... And creepy." Suzuki muttered, "He's a famous explorer, though he's fairly new on the scene. He came out of nowhere a few years ago. They say his talents are superexceptional. He doesn't have a team either. He's a solo explorer. He's also said to be very knowledgeable. It's almost like there's nothing he doesn't know. Though, I do believe this is his first time here, but why Wigglytuff is acting so friendly?"

"Our Guildmaster is a bit...odd..." Everyone near sweat dropped. They turned back to listen to the conversation.

"...I see. Well, that must have been quite a disappointment for your guild!" Dusknoir exclaimed 'happily'.

"Yeah. The expedition was a waste of time! Didn't learn a thing!"

"I heard that Wigglytuff's Guild was mounting an expedition to find Fogbound Lake. I came here to hear about your latest triumph..."

"Sorry! We didn't learn a thing!" It was odd. Had Wigglytuff seen the Time Gear?

"Not at all! It's no trouble to me! This gave me an opportunity to visit you! I plan to stay is Treasure Town for a short while. May I visit you occasinally during my stay? You guild constantly recieves the latest new. Good information would be a big help on my explorations!"

"No problem! Other exploration teams visit all the time. Your always welcome here!" They walked towards the large crowd of Pokémon in the guild and Wigglytuff introduced the explorer, "Everyone! This is Dusknoir! He's going to stay in Treasure Town for a while. Mind yourself around him! Dusknoir is very famous and quite knowledgeable... So I bet everyone would like to get advice from him! But let's not overdo it! We don't want to be a nuisance!"

Chatot spoke up, "Now, everyone, our guest might be famous but don't embarress us by asking for autographs!"

Dusknoir stopped him, "No, no! If it's autographs you want, I'm sure I can oblige! But...information? I'm afraid you flatter me. I have very little information. However, I would be delighted if I may be of service to you. If there is anything you wish to ask of me, please don't hesitate."

Everyone clapped and cheered and someone asked for an autograph. After Dusknoir left, everyone returned to their normal duties.

_Later that same night..._

Team Skull had a brilliant plan. They would get back at Wigglytuff for beating them up by going after a still healing Team NightLight. They seemed to forget the team had a third, more able member, but that member would have a hard time beating their plan.

Team NightLight was afraid of large Pokémon? What about large groups...

Team Skull's sinister laughs echoed into the night.

_A few mornings later..._

Team NightLight was in town running an errand for Chatot before doing missions and they saw Dusknoir, so, Suzuki iniciated a question, though never got to ask it, "Dusknoir, sir?"

The ghost turned to them, "Hello there!" He smiled down at them 'kindly', "You're from the guild, if I'm not mistsaken?"

Suzuki nodded, not as warry as Caee, "Yeah. We're Team NightLight!" He gestered to the trio of them, "We work at the guild. It is nice to meet you. So what are you doing in town Dusknoir, sir? Shopping?" He quiestioned.

"No. Simple enjoying a chat." Dusknoir said, jovial.

"I hailed him down. The great Dusknoir is so very famous." Nou said, "We started a conversation. And what a surprising talk. The great Dusknoir is very wise. I'm very immpressed!"

Suzuki chuckled, uncomfortable, "I guess the rumor are true. You must be as knowledgeable as they say Dusknoir, sir."

Shou spoke up this time, "Suzki? May I ask what you needed?"

Suzuki jumped but Caee spoke, "Oh! We needed to know if you plan on stocking Perfect Apples anytime soon."

Nou sighed, "Sorry to disappoint you, but we have no plans to stock Perfect Apples."

Team NightLight sighed collectivally, "Shun, hurry!"

"Wait for me!"

Everyone turned to see Marill and Azurill running by, "Shon and Shun! Good to see you! Doing well?" Caee called out, happy to see to brother for the first time in months.

"Oh! Hi Kecleon brothers!" Azurill squeaked.

"You to Team NightLight." Marill added.

"What's the rush?" Toge asked, the normally quiet Pokémon silently cooing at the much younger Pokémon.

"You know how we've been looking for our lost item?" Marill started.

"Yeah." Caee nodded.

"Well. Someone saw it on the beach! And we are going to check! I can't wait to see my Water Float again!" Azurill squeaked, sitting on his tail and bouncing.

Dusknoir blinked, astonished, "A Water Float? Now that is quite the precious item!"

"Yeah. But we haven't been looking because it's rare. We've been looking because it used to belong to our grandfather!" Marill said, a small smile upon his face.

Off to the side, Team Skull was there and Skuntank spoke to the others, "Well. Looks like we found a way to get those wimps up there." Before they hurried off to the beach.

Back with the team, they were laughing happily, "I'm glad you found it!" Caee said, cooing and patting Azurill on the head. She'd grown quite the soft spot for him.

"Bye!" The two brothers called, running off.

"I was wondering how their item search was going." Suzuki said, a smile on his face.

"What is a Water Float?" Nou asked.

"A Water Float is an item specifically for Azurill." Dusknoir said, "It can be obtained only by trading precious treasures again and again. As such, it is said to be an exceedingly rare item."

"You mean like my Volt Charm, or Fuschia Ribbon?" Caee said, gesturing to her ribbon, which sported a yellow bolt charm pinned to the middle. She had gotten it after trading Pikachu fur and another item to Croagunk at his swap shop.

"Or my Guardian Ring?" Suzuki gestered to his throat. It was an old family item he had found in a chest in his home.

"Or my Happy Pebble?" Toge held up a small pebble on a necklace, showing it off. His mother had given it to him a long time ago.

"Yes. It seems you all have rare items." Dusknoir chuckled.

"Oh!" Caee interupted everyone, "We have to go report to Chatot! Bye Dusknoir, sir!" She said, bowing, before the team ran off to the guild. Much later, they were preparing to leave on another job. Chatot's reaction to the news of no Perfect Apples had been pretty funny. Though Toge was still plucking cyan blue from his ruby, white, and aqua blue feathers.

_That night a dinner..._

Chatot kept them from eating with the same horrible news from, now, six months ago. Another Time Gear had been stolen. No one knew anything and they were all freaking out. They were still wondering how this could happen at all. The were so worried. Though Caee and Suzuki were the only ones who paid attention and saw it, there were wondering if it was the one from Fogbound Lake.

_At Fogbound Lake..._

"Hmm. Those two really did endanger the Time Gear. I'm a fool for trusting. I should have finished them when I had the chance. But I let them live." An injured Uxie said, looking at a darkened figure.

The figure smirked, "I haven't the slightest clue of whom your talking about. Now. Out of my way." He knocked Uxie away, looking a little sad as he did so.

The Pokémon went up to the Time Gear, jumping over stones and grabbed it, just as the geyser spewed. He took off as time froze in the area. Uxie just barely managed to teleport away.

_A week later..._

Spinda's Cafe was wonderful. Team NightLight was resting currently in the Cafe when Marill and Azurill came running in, needing help. The team of three lept to their feet, "What is it?"

"We need help." Marill started.

"We never found our Water Float. Instead we found a note that said to come to the peak of Amp Plains. We can't go there. It's full of electric types!" Azurill cried out this.

Caee grinned, "We'll go right away! Don't worry! We'll get it!" She said before rushing off, getting prepared and rushing out of town. The team used their Wonder Map to check where Amp Plains was. It wasen't hard to reach after going through Waterfall Cave and taking the geyser.

When they reached the plains, there was an electrical storm above. The storm made Toge uneasy, but it was easier to bare with Caee there. She would be able to keep the thunder off, "This is it." Suzuki muttered, "I can't imagine who would take Shon and Shun's Water Float here..."

Caee was bouncing, full of more energy then she'd ever been, "Why are you so excited?" Suzuki questioned but Toge answered for Caee.

"She's an electric type. Amp Plains is known for its electrical storms. We won't have to worry about the storm as long as we don't get seperated. She will be stronger and faster here due to the electricity saturating the air. Now Let's go." Caee listened to that and entered the Plains.

Caee loved the dungeon. The others in the team. Not so much. The dungeon was nineteen floors long with the peak, but Caee was, somehow, still full of energy.

"Your energy is ridiculous!" Suzuki said once they reached the peak.

_Meanwhile, back at Treasure Town..._

"Ah, I see! That's what happened to your Water Float!" Shou said understandingly, "What a mean thing to do! So, Caee's team is on their way there right now?"

"Yep!" Azurill bounced, "They said they would get it for us!"

"Good for you! You can rest easy knowing Team NightLight is on the case!" Nou said jovially.

"Yes. That's true! They once saved Shun too. We're so gratefull for their help."

"Good day to you all. Is something the matter?" The group of four turned to see Dusknoir come up.

"Hello, Dusknoir, sir! We're talking about Shon's and Shun's lost item. Do you remember? We discussed the very same thing here not long ago." Shou and Nou spoke at once.

"Of course. I believe you're referring to the Water Float? I seem to recalled you'd heard it was on the beach."

"Exactly!" Shou said, "But now there is more to the story..." Shou explained what had taken place to Dusknoir.

"I see. That is terrible indeed. It's hard to imagine why anyone would do something so wretched. It must take some pathetic thugs to stoop so low." Dusknoir said.

"I couldn't agree more." A miffed Nou said, "To be so mean spirited to children! And children so young as these brothers! It's utterly unforgivable!"

"One more thing..." Dusknoir said slowly, "Where has Team NightLight gone off to?"

"They went to Amp Plains." Marill informed.

Dusknoir froze, "Pardon? Amp Plains? But in Amp Plains at this time of year... It's the season for... No! This is ruinous! Team NightLight is in grave danger!"

The others jumped, "What!?"

"I must leave for Amp Plains immediatly!" And Dusknoir rushed off.

"What?! Wait!"

Back with Team NightLight. They had nine more floors to go, while in the dungeon though, the team found a Secret Bazzar. They rested a bit there before leaving refreshed. At the peak, lightning struck everywhere. Suzuki was scared of the area and Toge was petrafied.

Lightning struck Caee's tail, as it was raised. It didn't hurt her. It just made her seem like a mon on a sugar rush, "Okay,whereistheWaterFloat?!" Caee said, words running together.

"Over there!" Caee turned a saw a glittering object. The Water Float. It looked more like a giant ring with a blue gem though. As they walked closer, everything went dark.

"Why did you come here?!" A voice barked, "This is our territory!"

The trio looked through the darkness, wondering who it was. Caee yelped in pain as something sharp sliced her tail. In the dark, she could barely make out the crimson blood flowing the cut. Suzuki fell back as blood welled from a cut beneath his left eye. Toge, though silent, was in pain. Some electric burns shown through his feathers as sparks raced over his body.

It must have hurt more then it looked. Electricity was really harmful to flying Pokemon.

"Let's take them out." The lightning flashed and everyone could see again. They were surounded by a pack of Electrike, "I am Manectric." The leader, a Manectric, stated, "I am the leader of these Electrike! Prepare to fight!"

They were fast but the team was faster. Suzuki kept using agility, upping the team's speed. Thunderbolts and Magical Leaves thrown around and the pack was put down. They had a better chance in the dark.

"You...You dare?!" Electricity dance in the Manectric's fur, anger lighting his features.

"Wait a second!" Suzuki tried, "We didn't come here to make claims on you territory!"

"Enough! Take this!" The electric bolt flew and almost hit.

"Stop! Stop this instant!" Dusknoir had saved them just in time, "Their words are sincere! They trespass, but they don't intend to make claims on your territory."

"You! Who are you!" Manectric questioned loudly.

"I am the explorer Dusknoir. Manectric! You have every right to be angry. Especially in the light of what your tribe had suffered on these grounds. Your hostility toward any trespass is natural. This place is your haven. A place where you find solace. I understand that completely." Dusknoir spoke all this calmly, as to not enrage the canines any further, "On behalf of these unwitting trespassers, I offer the sincerest apology. They entered here unbidden, but did so without malice. They mean no harm. We will leave you in peace as soon as our errand is complete. Please do believe me."

"Hmm." Manectric hummed. He had calmed greatly and was looking at the team, or more importantly, Caee, whom was hiding behind Suzuki, "Very well. I believe your words Dusknoir. I will allow you some time. I expect you to be gone by our return." And the tribe left, leaveing a slightly frightened trio and a calm Dusknoir.

"Who were they?" Suzuki asked.

"They are a nomadic tribe. Always on the move. The Amp Plains is lashed by electrical storms this time of year. They find it to their liking, so they dwell here during this time of year. Tragically, they were attacked by enemies here, without warning. They suffered greatly. Ever since, the tribe has been very hostile towards trespassers. They strike first out of fear only."

"So that's why they were so intent." Caee muttered, wrapping her tail after taking care of Suzuki and Toge, "Oh!" Caee ran twards the item earlier, "The Water Float!" She picked it up and, with Dusknoir following, left the plains, but not before Dusknoir revealed something.

"Was it not your intention of getting this team seriously injured? It's about time you stopped hiding."

"So you knew all along... No point in hiding then." Skutank stepped into the light, followed by Zubat and Koffing.

"You thugs?!" Caee said, disgust lighting her features as she hid behind Dusknoir's larger figure, "Why did you do it?"

"Revenge." was the only word smooth talking Skuntank spoke.

"Shall we settle this?" Dusknoir said, moving forward.

"If it was just them, maybe. But no. Retreat!" And the group ran off leaving Team NightLight to sigh heavily.

A while later, they were back in town. The brothers were over the moon to have the heirloom back, "Thank you so much!"

"You saved Shun way back when, and now this. I don't think we could ever thank you enough."

"Your smile is thanks enough." The team said, smiling at the small duo.

The Kecleon brothers chuckled, "You were just as fast at pinpointing Shun's location as you were to reacting to this."

"About that." Suzuki started, "We have something to admit. It would be great if it happened the way the Kecleon brothers said, but that is not the truth. We didn't down Shun's location. My partner saw it in a dream."

Caee nodded, "Excuse me? A dream, you say? By dream, what do you mean?"

Caee spoke, "Um. Occasionally, I get dizzy spells when I touch something, or someone. Then I see events that happen in either the past, or the future."

"What? Well, that's...that's... The Dimensional Scream!"

"You know of it Dusknoir, sir? Mind if we get your advice on something then?" Suzuki questioned.

Later, they were on the beach, were Caee was found, "I see...so you found your friend unconscious right here?"

"Yes. Right here."

"Then you regained consciousness. Though you'd lost your memory."

"Yeah. The memory of a name...and the memory of being a human." Suzuki said with Caee's nod.

"I beg your pardon?! H-human! But your friend here seems to be a Pokemon in every obvious way!"

"That's true. I guess even you can't understand it. But we're certain the something caused Caee's memory loss...and turned her into a Pokemon."

"A human...with the Dimensional Scream ability...You...are...?"

"My full name is Catherine. But I go by Caee because... Why go by the name from a life I can't remember?"

"I see...you're...Catherine..."

"Does that name mean anything to you?" Toge asked.

"...No. It means nothing to me unfortunately."

Caee flinched, ever so slightly, _'What?! Did I just see...the faintest... Did Dusknoir just hide the faintest of smiles? Or did I imagine that...?'_

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you with this. However... I do know about the ability Caee possesses."

"Really?" Suzuki asked, a little unhinged.

"The ability to see the future or the past by thoughing something... That ability is known as the Dimensional Scream."

"Dimonsional...Scream?"

"Indeed. How such an ability is learned, that is unknown. But the sounds and images slice across the boundries of time, breaching objects and reaching into Pokemon... To manifest as visions. And that is all I know about the extraordinary ability."

"That's still wonderful!" Suzuki said, "It's better then what we were going on."

"Perhaps this is why we became friends. To unrevel the mystery of why Caee became a Pokemon. I offer you my full cooperation! Honestly, I can't stand knowing there's something I don't know."

The four laughed for awhile before Pelipper flew overhead, "Wonder why so many are in the air now?"

"Something might be wrong."

"Hey!" The group turned to see Bidoof, "The call has been put out! All apprentices are to report to the guild immediately!"

Team NightLight bid their goodnight's to Dusknoir before they rushed off, though Dusknoir followed.

**(A/N I really hope you like. I should have had this done earlier, but Fanfiction was evil and my files got deleted. Now. I'm going to bed. It is 5:30 in the bloody morning and I'm tired!)**


	13. Grovyle the Thief

**Crash, Boom, KA-BOOM!**

"Talking"

'Random Emotion = Decieving'

_'Thinking'_

_Flashback_

_Narrator Talking _

"Come on! Hurry!" Bidoof called as he led them to the Outlaw Notice Board at the guild, "Everyone's here!"

Everyone was there. They were crowded around the board, talking animatedly. Toge fluttered above Caee and Suzuki to get a better look. All the Pokémon were staring at a single piece of paper.

"Sorry everyone." Suzuki said, "We just got told the call went out so we came running. What's going on?"

Chatot cringed and spoke, "Another Time Gear was stolen!"

"What!" Caee said, "From where?"

"Fogbound Lake. I didn't even know a Time Gear resided there!" Chatot spoke reverently.

Two members of NightLight flinched heavily, "There was a Time Gear there. We saw it, and Uxie."

"What! Why didn't you tell when you woke?!"

"We couldn't! Uxie threatened to kill us!" Caee and Suzuki cried out. Toge jumped, he hadn't known that. The guild was a bit upset, though most flinched heavily at the mentioning of **Uxie** threatening to **kill** the two.

"Just one moment!" They all turned to Dusknoir, "I'm afraid I don't quite understand. Time Gear? Uxie threatening you? Or more importantly, there was a Time Gear at Fogbound Lake? I did not know that. Did I not hear quite different about your recent expedition."

Wigglytuff answered him, "No one knew! I saw the gear, along with Suzuki and Caee, but no one else knew. I didn't want to tell. I heard what Uxie said and didn't want those two harmed."

"Anyway," Chatot spoke up, "A lone intruder slipped into Fogbound Lake, knocked out Uxie, and made off with the Time Gear."

Caee blinked, "Is Uxie alright?!"

Chatot nodded, "He is fine. Magnezone's squad is protecting him. Don't worry." Team NightLight sighed in relief, "According to Uxie's victim statement, the intruder's identity has been revealed."

"Who?" Everyone asked. They wanted to know who would do such a thing as steal Time Gears, "There is a wanted poster for the theif."

"You mean the poster we saw Magnezone put up?" Someone asked.

"Yes." They all crowded to see.

The Pokémon was handsome, Caee would give him that, but he was nameless, like Dusknoir. He went by his species name. Grovyle. He was tall and built for speed. There was even a wicked smirk on his face. The long, dark green leaf on his head was longer then normal as well, "He's a nameless Pokémon? Like the great Dusknoir?"

Chatot nodded, "Yes."

"He's pretty scary..." A lone Eevee spoke.

_'Grovyle...So this is the Pokémon...the thief who's stealing the Time Gears... Why does he feel so familiar though?'_ Caee thought.

"This poster was issued based on Uxie's statement. It was issued as an all points bulletin." Chatot explained.

"That's why all the Pelipper were out?"

"Officer Magnezone obviously doesn't want things to worsen. They've put a remarkably high bounty on the thieving Grovyle."

"We promised Uxie not to reveal Fogbound Lake's secret, and now look what happened." Suzuki said, hanging his head.

Wigglytuff put his foot down, "Everyone! We'll catch Grovyle! We'll catch that thief! I vow it on the name of Wigglytuff's Guild! Chatot! If you will!"

"Y-yes!" Chatot turned to all the Pokémon, "Okay, everyone! From here on out, we are putting all our full focus on capturing Grovyle! Do your best to bring Grovyle to justice!"

Everyone cheered, vowing to do just that.

"Wigglytuff." Dusknoir said, "I will join your guild's pursuit to capture Grovyle."

Wigglytuff grinned, "Thank you!"

"The Guildmaster and I shall devise a strategy for finding Grovyle." Chatot spoke up, "In the meantime! You all start preparing to go on searches! Return here when you are ready!"

~!Timeskip!~

"Now, I see everyone's with us!" Chatot spoke, "First and foremost! This should go without saying... Grovyle appears wherever Time Gears are located. But where are the Time Gears? That is the question, but we have no answer. Therefore, we rallied upon the great Dusknoir for ideas. Together, we've rallied several locations where Time Gears mat be found. We ask that you split into groups and investigate each of these potential sites." He spoke, paceing to and fro.

"First! Loudred and Corphish! I'm assigning you to the Eastern Forest. That's the huge forest far to the east, of course." The two nodded, and got ready to set out, "Next! Bidoof, Dugtrio, and Sunflora. We'd like you to search Crystal Cave." They nodded, Sunflora taking up leadership, "And finally. Team NightLight! You three are assigned to the Nothern Desert. I'll show you all the exact locations on your Wonder Maps."

The groups opened their maps as Chatot went around pointing out the locations on the map. Chatot then finished as he was saying, "Diglett will remain at the guild. We can't leave the guild unattended with the other, apprenticed rookies about. Toge may have handled them well last time, but that was because he is very leader-like, despite being quiet."

Chimecho chimed, "Croagunk and I are staying as well, so you don't have to worry!"

"Now, let's find the Time Gears everyone! YOOM...TAH!" Everyone cheered with the pink Pokemon.

Dusknoir came up to Team NightLight, "Be careful out there. The desert is vast and raked by vicious sandstorms." The team nodded and they were off, ready to take care of their job.

"The Northern Desert is through here." Toge muttered when they arrived, "If a Time Gear is really here, Grovyle would show up for sure. Let's do our best and find that Time Gear!" The team nodded and entered the desert. Suzuki and Caee had a hard time, the heat reminding them of something else, but they pulled through until they reached the very center of the desert.

There were quicksand pits and Caee was having a similar feeling here to what she had back at the Fogbound Lake, "Is the the center of the desert?" Suzuki questioned aloud, "I don't see anything that reminds me of a Time Gear anywhere." He stated and turned to Caee, "Hey? What's wrong?"

_'This feeling...It's like the one at Fogbound Lake. I guess its time to spill the Gummis.'_ Caee turned to her friends and explained what she felt at the lake a long time ago.

"What? I kind of wish you had told me before, but I guess we didn't have time, huh." Suzuki said.

"Yeah. I have only heard of this place, but it really does feel like I've been here before. I can't tell which, but either way. I have been here before."

"Well." The two turned to Toge, "We'd best be getting back. There isn't anything here. I even flew a little higher while you were talking and I saw nothing." The two nodded and they left the desert.

_The clouds parted over the Northern Desert!_

Back at the guild, "What!" Suzuki coughed out, "Everyone's back from their searches and not a thing?!" Everyone nodded and Bidoof mentioned taking a crystal with him from the Crystal Cave.

"When did you pick that up?" Sunflora asked, looking at the pretty green stone.

"When we first arrived."

Chatot sighed and turned to Dusknoir, "Dusknoir, sir, I regret to say it. Our search efforts have ended fruitlessly."

"Ah, this is vexing." Dusknoir murmered, "I thought the search locations we chose held promise. I blame my lack of knowledge. I am truly chastened."

Chatot fluttered about, trying to reassure to large Pokemon, "My goodness, no! You mustn't blame yourself. We wouldn't have come up with our plan without you!"

"Nonetheless, our efforts were in vain. Being hard on ourselves is pointless. Let us devise a different strategy tomarrow."

"Yes. That sounds wonderful! That's enough work for today everyone! Get some well deserved rest now!"

_The next morning..._

Caee woke her team mates with a smile and they headed to the assembly, ready to hear what Chatot had to say.

"Ahem. And that brings us to today. Presently, the great Dusknoir and I are working out a new strategy. While we develop this strategy, we ask you to search for the Time Gears on your own initiative. That is all. Work hard today!"

Everyone cheered and went off to their duties, "Let's search on our own and do our best today you two!" Suzuki cheered as they walked off. They had quite a few Outlaw missions they had been meaning to do after all.

"Wait..." The team stopped and looked at Caee, "Let's go back to those pits. We didn't search completely. We didn't check the quicksand pits themselves! They could easily lead somewhere!"

"You really want to go back there? But you nearly got knocked out several times!" Suzuki and Toge exclaimed.

"Let's try it though. If not, let's bring something to get us out. An Escape Orb will do fine!"

They two males of the team sighed, "Fine. But only if you bring extra Reviver Seeds." And they left to prepare. After a long time, they made it back to the pits.

Caee glanced at her team before jumping in, after tieing a very long rope to a strudy rock. Her team held onto the rope and followed, sinking into the sand, terrafied. The rope had been a tad to long, so they hit the ground, landing in soft sand. They were under the pits in an underground desert of some sort.

The team wiped the sand from their scales, feathers, or fur and headed out. Caee's tail stung a bit as she quickly rebandeged the wound on it. Suzuki allowed her to care for his small wound. The sand wasn't good for the still slightly fresh wounds that they hid. Toge was fine as his wound was taken care of with a Rawst Berry. He only had burns after all.

"Guess we shouldn't have doubted the plan. Let's leave the rope so we can escaped later." The team nodded and they traversed deeper into the underground desert. The hidden cave was an exastingly long twenty floors. Caee had nearly faited several time, if not for her Reviver Seeds, and she ran out of PP more then once so the Max Elixers brought really helped.

When they had reached the halfway point, the trio was breathing heavily. Caee had untied her ribbon and tied it over her nose and mouth to keep from breathing in sand. The others had done the same with the cloth they wore. And taking a breather, they headed back out. Caee wished she could learn Iron Tail now as there were Tyranitar here, and they terrified her.

"This is..." Caee muttered quietly to herself. At the very bottom was a huge underground lake. Stone pillars held up the ceiling and a light turned the center on the calm water green. Light rippled as the edges wavered gentley against the stone platform they stood apon. Shadows made the room appear bigger as they stretched across the stalagtites on the ceiling.

"This is beautiful..." Toge muttered, a Mawhile, named Maw, they had befriended, nodding along.

"We didn't expect this." Suzuki said, gold eyes sparkling, "This huge lake sprawling underground. Is that glow... A Time Gear?!"

The group walked closer when the cave darkened, shadows seeming to stretch, as if to engulf them.

"Wait!" A serene voice calling, "What?! Who are you!?" The group looked around, though Caee and Suzuki were very frightened.

"Why did you come here?!"

"We came to find and protect the Time Gear! There is someone after them!" Caee said, voice bouncing off the walls.

"Stay away from the Time Gear! If you won't leave the Time Gear alone, I'll stop you!" The light came back and a Pokemon splashed from under the water, hovering, "I am Mesprit. Here at the deep Underground Lake, I protect the Time Gear! I won't allow you to disturb it! I will make you leave!"

Mesprit fought hard. She wanted nothing more then for them to leave, unlike Uxie, who was willing to kill. She was defeated by them all teaming up on her. Even while defeated, she tried to protect the gear, "But I can't let you take...the Time Gear."

"Wait!" Caee said, "We only want to protect the gear! We don't want to steal it!"

"Don't lie to me! Uxie used his telepathy to tell me what happened! I know the Time Gear from Fogbound Lake was stolen! That was your doing, wasn't it?"

"No! How could we steal it when we were so severly injured that we were in a coma, even after healing?!" Suzuki said.

"Then who's responsible?" Mesprit questioned.

"That would probably be...me."

Everyone turned and saw Grovyle walked in. Even if they tried, the group wouldn't be able to defeat him. They were tired from the fight and the dungeon, yet Grovyle was full of life. He was tall, intimidating. His narrow red eyes pierced their souls as he stood there, smirking. The three leaves on either of his arms glinted in the light as he swung his head to look at the Time Gear, the long, dark green leaf on his head swinging to follow the movement. Two leaves extended from just above his tailbone, moving like a makeshift tail.

"Who are you!" Mesprit panted, tired.

"G-Grovyle!" Caee said, walking back a couple steps. Her fur bristled as a long forgotten scar at the dent in her tail ached when her tail slapped the ground behind her. She was scared. Suzuki, Maw, and Toge noticing this, stood a bit more in front of the girl. Caee was weaker then them as the constant sand weakened her, what with her being an electric type.

"I must apologize..." Grovyle started, smirk growing wider as he stared them down, "But I will be taking that Time Gear." He dashed forward, knocking Team NightLight and Mawhile to the side, "Stand aside." He told Mesprit.

"Never!"

"Very well." He knocked her to the side and proceded to dive into the water, swimming to the gear.

"No!" Caee said, coughing. She had landed on her chest, hard.

"I'm sorry...Uxie must not have been talking about you. It was that Pokémon. I'm sorry for doubting you." Everything flashed as the gear was taken. The ground rumbled as grey rushed through the area, everything freezing.

"This is bad! We have to go!" Mesprit took off, the small group following.

"What's happening?" Caee asked.

"Time is stopping! We must run! If we don't hurry, we will be trapped in time! Hurry!"

**(A/N Not a cliffhanger! If it was, the whole bloody story would be ruined. The last line was when the game transitioned into the next chapter. I will post when I'm done.)**


	14. The Only Option

**Crash, Boom, KA-BOOM!**

"Talking"

'Random Emotion = Decieving'

_'Thinking'_

_Flashback_

_**Dream**_

_Narrator Talking _

_!Line Break!_

"ZZZT! Thank you for helping with our criminal investigation! ZZZT!" Officer Magnezone spoke, "ZZZT! We have Mesprit under our protection! Her safety is assured! ZZZT! ZZZT! We are dedicating all resources to pursuit of Grovyle! ZZZT! ZZZT! If you come across any information related to the case, please let us know! ZZZT! ZZZT! We must cooperate to bring this criminal to justice! ZZZT! ZZZT! That is all. Now please excuse us. ZZZT!"

The officer floated off, "It's to bad he got away. Now we're back to sqare one!" Sunflora said.

"Not necessarily." Dusknoir spoke up.

"You know. Mesprit told us something interesting." Toge said, "She said Uxie warned her about his Time Gear being stolen through telpathy."

"I should have known." Dusknoir chuckled, "There is an ancient legend. It is believed that Uxie is the being of Knowledge and Mesprit is the being of Emotion. But three Pokémon in total represent the spiritual word...and are said to keep the world in balance."

"Three? So besides Uxie and Mesprit, there's another Pokemon out there then?"

"Yes. The last of the troi is Azelf, the being of Willpower. Uxie and Mesprit both guarded Time Gears, therefore, Azelf may likewise be protecting a Time Gear."

"Oh! I see. If we could locate Azelf, we may find a Time Gear with the Pokémon.

"That's correct." Dusknoir stated, "Those three Pokémon, Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, all three are said to dwell in lakes. Both Uxie and and Mespret were encountered at lakes so Azelf should be found at a lake somewhere. Let's keep something in mind. Uxie's lake was located on a high plateay. Mesprit's was hidden far beneath a desert. In both cases, the lakes were in unusual places. So the lake were Azelf live...It will be somewhere that we least expect it to be." He explained.

Loudred jumped, "I get it NOW! You're saying we shouldn't look for water in the usual places!"

"My, my, my!~" Chatot chuckled, "I commend you on your wisdom, Dusknoir, sir! I feel renewed admiration for you!~"

"Thank you...It's really nothing." Dusknoir muttered.

Sunflora jumped up, an idea popping into her head, "Oooh! So maybe the other places we searched... The Eastern Forest and Crystal Cave... Those places could still be hiding secrets from us!"

Dusknoir's eye widened "I have an idea. Bidoof. I have a request. That crystal you picked up previously... May I borrow it briefly?" Bidoof hesitated so Dusknoir explained, "Rest assured we won't take it away. Or do anything of the sort. Now, Caee... There is something I would like you to do, Caee. Please tough bidoof's crystal."

Caee jumped, "I get it!"

"If a secret remains hidden in Crystal Cave... If Caee touches the crystal... It may trigger the Dimensional Scream! It may trigger a vison!"

"What is a Dimensional Scream?" Someone questioned and Suzuki replied.

"It's a special ability that Caee has. Sometimes, when Caee touches something... Then Caee has a vision of an event in the past or the future that involves it."

Everyone was surprised and in awe.

"I desperately wish to borrow that crystal because of Caee's ability. Please? May we?"

Bidoof hesitated before nodding, giving his stone to Caee. Caee held the stone in her small paws, looking around for a bit before everything flashed. Darkness fell and, like all the other times, a light pinged and a vision started.

_"Ugh..."_

_Grovyle stood before a Pokémon that could only be Azelf, "Now I'll take it! The Time Gear!" He walked around the Pokémon but was stopped._

_"No...you can't take it... Never..."_

Everything went white and the vision ended, "Did anything happen Caee?" She turned to Toge and nodded before handing the crystal back to Bidoof as she described her vision.

"You saw Grovyle with a Pokémon you'd never seen before? And he tried to steal the Time Gear?"

"That Pokémon you didn't recognize. Do you think it was Azelf?"

"Was it the past, or the future though?"

"I don't know..." Caee muttered, glancing at Suzuki. Everyone was panicking, wondering if they were to late.

"Everyone, please hold on!" They all turned to Dusknoir, "Yes, it is true that it may have been a vision of the past. But it could have been a vision of the future. If you would be so kind as to remind us what Mesprit said? Who informed Mesprit, via telepathy, that a Time Gear was stolen?"

"Uxie." Caee said.

"But the name Azelf?"

"Never heard it."

"Then there's still a chance! If Mesprit claimed that Azelf had alerted her about the stolen Time Gear, then Caee's vision would surely be from the past. But that was not the case. Mesprit did not mention Azelf, therefore, It's possible the event happens in the future!"

"I see..." Chatot muttered.

"One more point. And this is a sure thing. Upon touching the crystal, Caee experienced the vision. The vision indicated the presence of a Time Gear, which means, maybe what we seek is at Crystal Cave! Perhaps a passage there leads to the Time Gear. Of course we may already be to late. Or we may still have time. As long as a chance remains, we must never give up! It's our only option!"

Everyone cheered after Dusknoir spoke, "Onward to Crystal Cave!" Chatot cheered, "Guildmaster! Please issue the call to duty!" Everyone stared at Wigglytuff for a moment, "Guildmaster! Hmmm...? Guildmaster?" Chatot walked in front of Wigglytuff, "Guildmaster! Are you with us?"

Wigglytuff released a loud snore, "Huh?"

_'You've gotta be kidding!'_ Corphish thought.

_'No! It looks like...'_ Dugtrio murmured.

_'He's asleep! With his eyes wide open too! Eww!'_ Sunflora shivered.

_'Eep! The Guildmaster is so charming...'_ Chimecho sighed.

_'When did he start snoozing?'_ Bidoof thought.

_'Maybe he's been asleep from the get-go?'_ Loudred contemplated.

_'Oh no! This just won't do! Everyone might notice that the Guildmaster is sleeping! I must rouse him somehow...'_ Chatot thought before squawking, "Guildmaster! Guildmaster!"

"Huh?" Wigglytuff woke up.

"GUILDMASTER!"

"Cher!"

"YES GUILDMASTER? Er, I mean... Yes Guildmaster? Er, to take it from the top...there was..."

"Everyone! We're going after Grovyle! YOOM...TAH!"

Everyone cheered and left to prepare to leave. Caee took care of her wounded tail first to see it had healed, and become a scar. Toge had a burn scar across his back, under his feathers and Suzuki now had a scar under his left eye. After preparing, Team NightLight left, a little tired. They had been out all day to several Mystery Dungeons already and they were still bumped and bruised from facing Grovyle before. Dusknoir even went with them to the cave. The guild quickly split up in order to find a way to Azelf faster.

At the end of the, admittedly, gorgeous dungeon, Team NightLight came upon three giant crystals in a lone chamber, all different colors.

"Is this?" Suzuki started, "The deepest part of the caverns?" He questioned, leaning on one of the crystals, only to leap back when its color changed, "Caee. Try touching a crystal. They seem to change color." He said, touching it again. Caee nodded and touched one as well and it flashed green, staying that color. Caee flinched, feeling dizzy. Her vision flashed, going dark and a light pinged as she heard a voice echo.

_"I see... Of the three spiritual elements of knowledge, emotion, and willpower, Azelf is the being of willpower. Willpower is the motivation that drives us. It's a unifying power. To unify is to make one. So if the colors of the crystals were made one, the path should reveal itself. What is the color of Azelf's spirit? That is the question. Azelf lives at Crystal Lake. Then Azelf's spirit must be affected by the crystals."_

The dark faded and everything returned to normal. The color of willpower? Azelf's color, "I wonder. Azelf was blue in color and the crystals about are blue... Unify... Make the colors the same... Maybe..." Caee went around tapping the crystals until they were all blue, confusing Suzuki and Toge for a moment before the room shook. Light burst from the tops of the crystals, flowing towards the center as crystals burst from the ground were the light connected. Team NightLight ran from the center when the crystals burst up, trying not to get impaled. Finally, an entrance was there, made of blue crystal. Team NightLight nodded to each other before heading onwards.

The second area was rather long, but not tiring. Though it was difficult to go through due to the large amount of hostile Pokémon there. At the end they came across a lake at the end with a path leading to an island in the center, all the way on the other side. The lake was beautiful. Crystals glistened in light as the sat, as if bursting from the water's surface. There was a dome of light at the center. A Time Gear resided there.

"There's someone over there!" Suzuki pointed out before they ran around the lake. When they reached the path to the island, they were panting, but the scene they saw made them hurry. It was the scene from Caee's vision. They stopped when everything rumbled, "What's going on?!" Suzuki shouted, right before large crystals burst from the water's surface, going around every inch of the water, protecting the Time Gear.

~Grovyle POV~

He smirked, "Now. Sunk down there... That is the Time Gear, isn't it!" He chuckled, but Azelf stopped him.

"Ugh... W-wait... Hold it... Grovyle..."

"...You know...my name?"

"Grovyle the thief... I heard from Uxie and Mesprit that you were coming. It would have been better if I just knocked you out directly... But I also thought that I could possibly lose... So I set up a fail-safe system..."

"What?!"

Azelf straitened, pained shaking stopping. His eyes flashed a bright yellow as everything rumbled.

"What did you do?!" Grovyle shouted. Crystals, blue and violet in hugh, burst from the lake, covering the surface, "Th-this..." Grovyle sounded heart broken, before anger overtook him.

"The lake is covered by crystals... There's no way of getting the Time Gear!"

"Grovyle... The Time Gear... You'll never get it now... Even in exchange for my life... You'll never..."

"Y-you! I mean to have it, and I will get it! I need the Time Gear! Even if it means eliminating you, Azelf!" He walked forth, as if to strike, but was stopped.

"Stop!" A Treecko, Pikachu, and Togetic, all from back with Mesprit, came running, and blocked his path to Azelf. The Pikachu and Treecko were heavily scared, and they still had bruses from before.

"You're not stealing another Time Gear, Grovyle!" His heart jolted painfully and he stole a look at the Pikachu. That voice sounded like... It felt like his heart was squeazed. Those eyes... They belonged to... No... It was impossible... He was loosing his mind if he thought that.

~Narrative POV~

Caee blinked, after having said her words. Did she really see that flash in Grovyle's eyes? What emotion was that?

"I have no quarrel with you. Out of the way!" Something in Caee cringed at the harsh words.

"We won't move!" Toge yelled.

Grovyle sighed, frustrated, "Are you serious?! Then if you won't stand aside... You leave me with no choice! I'll knock you out first! Just try and stop me!"

He dashed but Caee threw up several Agilties. The entire team was now much faster then Grovyle, but he was much stronger. When Caee flew at him, hoping to get off a close ranged Thunderbolt, he slashed at her, slashing the tops of her forearms with a LeafBlade and he slashed at the back of her legs when she jumped away to avoid more hits.

Blood splattered across the crystals as Caee fell to the ground, a pained sound leaving her, blood oozing from her wounds. I didn't help that this was far to soon after the last encounter. Grovyle made to slash again, but Suzuki took the hit. Grovyle knicked his left shoulder, making a deep wound and three, long, deep cuts were slashed into Suzuki's chest.

Toge flew into Grovyle, knocking him to the side. Grovyle didn't even flinch before he slashed at Toge, knocking him out. Toge slumped down, a wound across his face and stomach bleeding heavily. Though defeated, Caee stood before Azelf, trying to protect him, though bleeding heavily, "Get out of the way!" Grovyle yelled.

"No..." Caee muttered, voice quiet. She couldn't talk anymore. She couldn't even stand on her feet, but she sat up on her knees, trying to protect Azelf. None of them could move. The pain was to great. Poor Azelf was unconscious, having been defeated by Grovyle and using the last of his power the protect the Time Gear.

"You refuse?! Then you leave me no choice!" That same pained, unknown emotion passed through Grovyle's eyes.

_'No!'_ Suzuki thought, _'I have to help! But I can't move!'_ he shivered, pain wraking his body as Grovyle stepped towards Caee slowly. The leaves on Grovyle's arm glowed a bright green as they extended and combined to one. He slashed down, "This is all for the Time Gear! Forgive me..." Caee's eyes widened. There was heavy sadness and regret on Grovyle's face and in his voice. It was almost unnoticed, but a tear slipped down his face and splashed onto the ground.

"STOP!"

Dusknoir had saved Caee. He held the glowing blade between two large hands.

"Gah!" Dusknoir released the blade, hands grabbing tightly to Grovyle's thin wrists. Grovyle struggled to break free.

"Are you alright, Caee? Please! Let me handle this!" Something in Caee was wary of Dusknoir. Afraid of him even, for what, she knew not.

Dusknoir through Grovyle back and he hit a crystal, falling to the ground with a dull thump. He was hurt. Caee had heard the tell-tale snap of a boken breaking, "Y-you?!"

"It's been to long." Dusknoir said, startling Caee, "It wasn't easy finding you, Grovyle."

"Gah! Even here...you chased me even here! You're tenacious, alright! You cling to me beyond expectation!"

"Grovyle! You're not getting away this time!"

"Dusknoir... I'm surprised to see you in this world... But I'm ready!"

"So you'll fight. Then so be it." Dusknoir spread his arms out, "But can you win? Against ME?"

They struck at each other but a bright flash filled the area. When it faded, Grovyle was gone. Something in Caee moved, relieved he was safe.

"That blasted Grovyle! He never intended to fight me at all! There's no escaping ME!" Dusknoir vanished on the spot and Caee collapsed. Her vision faded as the guild arrived.

"Not again!" She heard a muffled shout, almost like she was underwater. She saw Suzuki and Toge being carried, both knocked out. Wigglytuff picked her up, mindful of her wounds and everything went dark, her head falling limp.

_**"-! Come on!"**_

_**'What's that voice? Why can't I hear the name?'**_

_**"-... You don't have to be so joyful all the time..." A sigh came from somewhere.**_

_**"You just don't know how to have fun -! Come on! Just play a little! At least gaze at the crystals. Or the lake! It's beautiful!"**_

_**"The lake is beautiful, but not as it should. We need to go. Remember, we know all their locations now, so we can stop this from happening."**_

_**"Such a shame though. I can just imagine what the lake looked like then. It must have been beautiful!"**_

_**"-! We have to go or we'll be caught! -'s coming!"**_

_**A jolt went through Caee as footsteps sounded, running, "Run -! Hurry! We have to get to the forest! - will help us get to the -!"**_

_**Everything started to fade, 'No! Don't go! Come back! Help you get to where! What are your names! Wait!'**_

Caee sat up in bed quickly, noticing the feeling of bandages on her legs and seeing them on her arms. Suzuki had bandages covering his chest and shoulder. He was standing next to her bed. He had been worried so he decided to check on her, first thing, from what he told her. Toge was blind in his right eye now. Bandages covered it and his stomach. She glanced around, noticing they were back in their room at the guild.

"You're awake!" The three turned to see Chimecho with three warm bowls of soup floating after her, held by her psychic abilities. She handed them their bowls before calling, "Everyone! They're awake!"

After everyone flooded and overflowed from their room, they told them what happened while they were asleep. They had been out for yet another month and the wounds were still fresh scars. Easy to tear open.

What they were told was shocking. Grovyle and Dusknoir were from the future, though Caee didn't believe Grovyle wanted the gears to keep from being caught in the future. Not with that single tear. Grovyle obviously didn't want to kill her back there, as he had hesitated ever so slightly, so why would he be all bad. It wasn't right. Something didn't add up. Espcially not with those odd feelings back there.

"Now when you go on missions, I want you to spread the word of the Time Gear being sealed away. This will surely get Grovyle's attention and he'll be caught." Caee glanced at Chatot and nodded, "Just. Be careful on missions. We don't want you all hurt again. All right?"

The team nodded and the guild left them to eat their soup, now cooled down. Later, they saw Azelf again. Azelf had woken up a couple days after the incident and was fine. He had come back to see if they were alright before heading off again. Team NightLight had been very happy they were alright, that much was certain.

**(A/N I changed the scene with Grovyle from the game. It seemed more fitting for them to be heavily injured. The reason? If it hurt to much to even move, wouldn't you be heavily injured? Not just bumped and bruised? By the way. Does ANYONE read the Author Notes?)**


	15. Into the Future

**Crash, Boom, KA-BOOM!**

"Talking"

'Random Emotion = Decieving'

_'Thinking'_

_Flashback_

_**Dream**_

_Narrator Talking _

_The Exploration Team Federation has sent a message..._

_The Special Episode 'Today's "Oh My Gosh"' has been unlocked!_

_Congratulations!_

_Team NightLight went up in rank from the Gold Rank to the Diamond Rank! The number of items that can bet kept in storage has increased from 320 to 480! For advancing in rank, the team was awarded one Protean!_

A loud siren blew through the guild. Everyone turned their attention the the sentry post, leading close to hear, "Zzzt! This is a message from Officer Magnezone. Zzzt!" Deputy Magnemite called, "Zzzt! We are pleased to deliver this report! Zzzt! Zzzt! Grovyle has finally been captured! Zzzt!" Everyone jumped, cheering loudly, "Zzzt! There's more! Zzzt! Zzzt! Grovylw was captured by the great Dusknoir. Zzzt! Zzzt! He has informed us that he will return to the future with Grovyle! Zzzt!"

Everyone was shocked and a little sad, "Zzzt! I do not claim to know the process. Zzzt! Zzzt! But I heard they will be going trough a tunnel. Zzzt! He called it a dimensional hole. Zzzt! Zzzt! He opened a dimensional hole in the town's main square, I am told. Zzzt! Zzzt! Ducknoir told us he that wishes to say good-bye before he leaves. Zzzt! Zzzt! Therefore, he hopes that you will come see him for the last time in Treasure Town's square. Zzzt!"

Everyone jumped, rushing to leave. A few minutes later, they were all in town, crowed around a big, blue and black portal. It waved around the edges and was hypnotic, almost asking you to enter. Every single Pokemon in town, and from the guild, and even a few travelers, was there. Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf floated up to Team NightLight and chatted with them. Uxie was sorry for his threat as he was protecting the gear. Before it had been stolen, a few Pokemon had tried to steal it before.

Officer Magnezone warned several Pokemon not to go near the dimensional hole, or they would, probably, never come back. An Ursaring drew their attention to a tied up figure being led by several Sableye and Dusknoir. He was even muzzled. It was Grovyle. He looked utterly defeated.

"That's Grovyle?"

"Not so scary all tied up."

"Why's he muzzled?"

"Who cares? He deserves it."

"Yeah. He nearly ruined the world."

"It's a good thing they caught him."

Dusknoir turned to the crowd, 'sad' and 'cheerful', "Everyone! Today, I would like to share excellent news with you. Finally...Grovyle...Grovyle has been captured!" Everyone cheered, "This was all made possible by your selfless support and cooperation. I can't thank you enough." Everyone cheered again, "As you can see, Grovyle is a vicious and wicked Pokemon. His capture should result in lasting peace for your world."

The tied up Grovyle shook his head, "Mmmmmf! Mmmmmf!" A Sableye kicked the criminal, though Only Team NightLight noticed that little detail.

"But...I must also deliver a sad piece of news. It is time for me to return to the future. Everyone! I must now bid you farewell."

Everyone was a bit down. Some even had tears in their eyes.

"Uxie...Mesprit...Azelf... I entrust you with the rest." The trio nodded, "The task is yours. You all have been most kind and helpful. I hope you will continue to work to preserve the peace. Now...I'm afraid the time has come." He motioned the the Sableye and they led Grovyle to the portal, kicking him in, "Everyone! Though it pains me..."

A few Pokemon cried sadly. Dusknoir went towards the portal but stopped short, "Oh, yes. Before I go... I must see two Pokemon... Suzuki! And Caee!" The two walked up to Dusknoir, looking up at the Pokemon.

Toge kept watch, wary. He felt like something was going to happen, "I guess this is goodbye Dusknoir, sir..." Caee said, eyes watery, "Thank you for everything you've done."

Dusknoir's shadow fell over the duo as he spoke, "Well...this is...goodbye... Or is it?" Dusknoir smirked.

"What?" Suzuki asked.

Dusknoir raised his hands, expression suddenly twisting, "It's to soon for farewells!" He grabbed the two Pokemon by the throats, dragging them with him, "You two...are coming with me!"

"Waahhh!" Caee shrieked.

"NNOOOOO!" Toge flew as fast as he could towards the portal, but he was to late. The portal closed as everyone ran forward, hoping to save the two, "SUZUKI! CAEE! NNOOOOOOO!" Toge hit the ground in tears, sobs wracking his body, "No..."

Caee and Suzuki flew through the portal, blue flashing brightly as they screamed...

Somewhere unknown, everything was grey. Seeming to be frozen in time. Giant red eyes flashed from a deep, dark hole as Dusknoir bowed, "I am sorry to have kept ypu waiting, Master Dialga... While I encountered more difficulty than anticipated... I finally succeeded... In the capture, yes."

Yellow lines flickered in the shadows as a deep growl rumbled.

"...I fully understand what must be done. Those who seek to alter the course of history...must be removed from history. I will see to the elimination immediatly."

Another growl echoed.

"I understand. As you wish... I take my leave."

~Elsewhere~

When Caee and Suzuki came to, everything was dark, silent. Their eyes adjusted to the dim light and they saw they were in a cell. Caee walked around, wandering where they were.

"Where is this?" Suzuki muttered.

"We seem to be in a jail." Caee said.

"How did we end up here though?"

Caee blinked and hummed, paw on her chin. The Volt Charm pinned to her Fuchsia Ribbon sparkled in the dim light eminating from her fur, "What I think happened was... Dusknoir gabbed us...and dragged us with him... Wait a second! Then that means! We're in the future?! Why are we here then?!"

Suzuki shook his head, "I don't know."

The bared doors opened and four Sableye came in, jewled eyes glinting, "They're awake."

"How convenient. All right. We'll do this quick."

The Sableye advanced, "Do what quick!?" They were suddenly blind folded and tied. They were dragged somewhere and they felt cold stone against their backs as they were tied to something. The blind folds were removed and they saw only each other in the dark room they were tied in.

There was someone else there though. On Caee's right, was Grovyle, tied up tightly, "Hmph. You're clueless about what's going to happen... I guess you can afford to be nonchalant about it."

"Grovyle!" The duo cried as one.

"You two... Do you have any inkling about where you are?"

"No..." Caee muttered, dark brown eyes staring at Grovyle, though he just stared ahead.

"This is a stockade... They're preparing to get rid of us for good."

Suzuki and Caee chocked in shock, "What?!" Suzuki yelled, "Get rid of us?!"

"Wait a second." Caee spoke up, "It's easy to understand why they'd want to get rid of you, Grovyle. But why us?! We haven't done anything wrong!"

Grovyle glanced at the two sadly before turning his head forward, "Hmph. I couldn't care less. You must have done something they can't tolerate." Caee just wimpered slightly, "Right now, you're wasting time losing your cool. Meanwhile, look... Here they come."

Six Sableye came in, Dusknoir following, "Those jailers do all the dirty work around here. They also happen to be Dusknoir's underlings." Grovyle muttered.

"Those three. We need to be rid of them." Suzuki and Caee's hearts jolted, "Pay them no heed. You may get ready."

The Sableye readied their sharp claws, "Don't try to waste your breath." Grovyle whispered, "Instead, keep your voices down so they can't hear you."

"Keep our voices down?" Caee muttered.

"You two... If you want to get away...give me your full cooperation."

"Alright." Caee said firmly, demanding no argument from Suzuki.

"Hey. Pikachu... Tell me... What can you do right now?"

_'Hmm... I can't reach my items and these ropes are rubber. Attack! We could flat out tackle them!'_ "We can attack. Just flat out attack."

"...! That's it... That'll do..."

"I can help with a regular attack as well." Suzuki muttered.

"...Good."

The Sableye rushed forward slashing. They caught Caee across the nose and on her left cheek twice each, creating criss crossing cuts sure to scar. Suzuki already had a deep wound over the right side of his face and Grovyle had a few smaller cuts on his face as well.

"Now!" Grovyle shouted when they ropes loosen under the Sableye's claws. The three lept forward, attack them. Grovyle used an ord to create a blinding flash and he pulled the two underground with him. Caee muffled a scream when a scar on her left leg split slightly, bleeding a bit and allowing soil to get into the loosly bandaged wound.

"Compose yourselves!" Dusknoir shouted, "It's only a Luminous Orb! Its effect wears off quickly!" The light faded and Dusknoir's face twisted in rage, "Blast it! That Grovyle! He fled using the flash from the Luminous Orb as cover. They won't get away with this. Come!" And they all rushed out.

The three came from the soil, Caee limping slightly as she stood up, "They're gone... We should leave. Who knows when they'll come back?"

The three fled, "Come on! This way!" Grovyle called as they turned a corridor, "We need to keep running until we hit an exit! Come on! Faster! Pick it up!" Suzuki was going as fast as he could. His legs pained him as his old scars stretched. Caee wasn't much better. Her left paw left bloody tracks as they ran and her leg ached.

"This is the fastest we can go!" Suzuki growled out, "But still. This is the future?"

"That's right. You catch on fast. I don't know if you can return to the past but we need to escape right now. If you get caught, returning home will be the least of your worries. Run faster!"

"We can't! We're exausted."

We're almost there! Look! The exit is right there!"

When they got outside, they were shocked. Shadows covered the land. The only light was dim and coming from Caee's on fur as she wiped blood from he cheek and nose. Taking a second to quickly tend their wound, they were off, staring horrified at the scenery. Earth and stone floated, stopped in time. No breeze blew and it was cold. Trees were leaveless and completely destroyed.

"How is this the future?" Caee said, scooting closer to Grovyle and looking up at him, "It's like all movement has stopped."

Grovyhle glanced down, "Exactly..."

Cackles could be heard coming closer, "We have to keep running!" And they took off again.

They stopped to rest awhile away. Caee recognized the cliff, despight time freezing. She, Suzuki, and Bidoof had traversed there on the way to Fogbound Lake so long ago.

"This forms a natural alchove. It should shield us from view. After a quick rest, we'll have to ge moving again. And don't go calling me a bad guy." Grovyle said, making Suzuki become quiet, "You'll have to answer Dusknoir's actions first. They wanted you gone as much as I."

"That doesn't mean we should trust you." Caee whispered, shaking from the strain of standing on her injured leg.

"Earning your trust isn't an easy task it seems. I thought having allies would help, but... There's no point in continueing together without trust. We'll go our seperate ways. I'm staying on the move. You two should get moving as soon as possible. Good Luck."

"Wait a second." Grovyle stopped and turned to Suzuki, "Why don't we wait for morning? It's hard to see in the dark."

Grovyle sighed, "That isn't possible. I hate to say it, but...morning never comes. This world. Your Future. It's a world of perpetual darkness. The sun never rises. So morning never comes. The darkness persists forever. Because... The planet has been paralyzed."

"What? I remember! Cher told us what Dusknoir described. He called it the planets paralysis... How did the planet become paralyzed?"

"You're free to believe...or reject...what I'm telling you." The two turned to Grovyle, Either way. I suggest you leave here as soon as possible. I'm going. Don't let those Sableye catch you." And he ran, going through the Mystery Dungeon.

Caee and Suzuki gulped before going a few minutes later. After the got to the other side they saw a frozen bit of water that was stuck, falling like a small waterfall. Suzuki had asked Caee to touch the water and hope for a vision but it didn't work. Caee just sighed and they moved on faster when they heard they Sableye again.

At the end of the dark hills, they reached a cliff. Even in the shadows, the view was beautiful. Lights of a town were frozen in time with a few smaller lights stretching into the distance.

"It was true. The world is in nothing but darkness... Caee...I know Dusknoir saved us more then once but... What should we do now... How far do we have to run? How do we get home... I wonder how everyone at the guild is doing... Are they worried... Everyone... I miss the guild..."

"Suzuki?" He turned to Caee, "Let's find Grovyle."

"What? Why?"

"I want to know something. We have to trust him now as well..."

"Oh. Right... Let's go then!"

As Caee was walking off, Suzuki stopped her, "I'm glad its you with me Caee... My closest friend... I wish I could say how much I cared for you... But we have to go."

And they ran, having to get to Grovyle as soon as possible. They went through another Mystery Dungeon. They took a moment to gather their bearings at the half way point and they continued on.

~Grovyle POV~

"I've gone quite deep. There's not much further now." Grovyle walked into a wide stone clearing pausing, If I get through here I should be at the forest. The Sableye are coming. There's no time to waste."

"That reminds me... I wonder how those two are doing. Have they eluded they Sableye?" He shook his head, "Oh, forget it. This isn't the time! I have to give priority to my own mission or else! I vowed to complete it, even if it means making sacrifices. Time to go."

"You there! STOP!"

Grovyle froze, "Hmm? Who's there?!"

"You INVADE this place with no warning! Then you DISTURB our slumber! Then, without APOLOGY, you try to leave?"

"Who's there! Who are you!"

"You DARE anger us! We expect you to PAY for these insults!"

Grovyle looked around in a panic, "Where are you?! Quite hiding and reveal yourself!"

"You ACCUSE us of hiding? We do NOT hide. We are... We are HERE! We are SPIRITOMB! There is NO MERCY for those who transgress us!"

"GAAHHH!"

~Back with the Team~

When the duo left the dungeon they saw Grovyle on the ground, violet and green energy swirling around him.

"Grovyle!" Caee said, concern filling her voice.

"Urggh... You two..."

"Grovyle! Are you alright?!" Suzuki said, worry in his golden eyes.

"S-stay back!" Grovyle shouted in pain.

"Why?!"

"Careful! An enemy lurks nearby! It's right...beside you!"

The duo glanced next to themselves and saw only an odd keystone, sitting on the gound. It moved ever so slightly.

"HEE-hee...Hee-hee... All those who TRESPASS upon this land... None shall be FORGIVEN! None! Not least of all... YOU!"

Suzuki blinked, "Who are you?!"

"You ask that of US? Our name is...SPIRITOMB! We are the manifestation of a FUSION of spirits." A violet and green face of swirling energy appeared from the keystone, "One hudred and EIGHT of them!"

"Be careful you two!" Grovyle shouted, "That Pokémon is strong!"

"HEE-hee...HEE-hee... PREPARE to take your punishment!"

It didn't take much to defeat to big talking Pokémon. A couple Thunders, an Energy Ball, and a Blast Seed was all it took.

"UGGH...OOOH...ARRGH! OOOOH...ARRGH! ...GWAAAAAAH! Eep!" The area rumbled before the energy on Grovyle vanished, returning to Spiritomb as it's face went back into the Keystone.

"RUNAWAY!" A tiny, high pitched voice squealed before the Keystone bounced off.

Suzuki sweat dropped, "Wh-what was that all about?"

Grovyle finally sat up and took a breath, "They got spooked and ran."

"Grovyle! Are you alright?" The duo said, running up to the Pokémon.

"Yeah... I'll be fine... That Pokémon... It was cunning. It went up my nose and took control of my body."

"So it was a bad Pokémon."

"No." Grovyle said, "That's not true. That Spiritomb was probably upset over us trespassing in its space. It was frightening...because it became so angry that it lost control of itself. But what you saw happened when the situation turned sour. It fled. It's normally a timid Pokémon. There are many such Pokémon here in your future. They are Pokemon who should be good... But they have become bitter and twisted because of the world's perpetual darkness."

"I see." Came Caee's murmur, "Good Pokémon going bad because of this world... That makes me sad..."

Grovyle shook himself, "Hey! You two! Now will you finally tust me?"

Caee nodded, "Yes. Suzuki doesn't trust you fully, but he is willing to listen and work with you."

"Hmph. I've told you before. There's no point in continueing together if there's no trust between us. I'm leaving."

"Oh wait! She didn't say I didn't believe you!" Suzuki cried, "To be perfectly honest... We don't know what's what anymore... That's why we want to know as much as we can learn. It's true that I don't completely tust you, Grovyle, but... But what you said does make sense. It just seems to be logical. So, please? Grovyle, please tell us what you know. Tell us about this future...and why you came to our world, Grovyle!"

Grovyle turned to them, "So, what if everything I say is a pack of lies?"

"That's alright. I won't accept everything you say at face value right away. I'll listen, then decide." Suzuki spoke.

"Well...fine. Follow me." The two followed Grovyle.

**(A/N Wow. I really love Pokémon Mystery Dungeon!)**


	16. The Secret of the Planet's Paralysis

**Crash, Boom, KA-BOOM!**

"Talking"

'Random Emotion = Decieving'

_'Thinking'_

_Flashback_

_**Dream**_

_Narrator Talking _

The small group was in a deep alchove, resting, "Good. This will do." He said before walking towards Caee and Suzuki, "Those Sableye won't be able to spot us easily here."

"Tell us, Grovyle. In the future... Why did the planet's paralysis take place?"

"The cause of the planet's paralysis... That dates back to your time. The world of the past. The planet's paralysis started with the collapse of Temporal Tower, which is governed by Dialga."

"Diagla?" Caee questioned, stealing a glance at Suzuki.

"He is the legendary Pokémon who controls time. Dialga ensured the proper flow of time from Temporal Tower. But when Temporal Tower collapsed... Time gradually got out of control...and eventually the planet fell into paralysis."

"What...what happened to Dialga?" Suzuki asked.

"When time went out of whack, Dialga also lost control. Now, here in your future, the planet has become paralyzed. And thus Dialga has lost almost all his reason...and is governed by darkness. Dialga is now beyond recognition. He has become an entirely different entity... Yes... He has been transformed into Primal Dialga, a primordial presence."

"Okay..."

"Primal Dialga feels no emotion. He seeks only self-preservation, so he prevents history from changing. That's why Dialga wants me gone. Because I tried to change history. Because I tried to stop the planet's paralysis. Becuase I traveled back in time to your world from this place...your future."

Suzuki and Caee were shocked, "What! Grovyle, you're saying that you came back to our world... So you could prevent the planet's paralysis?! But that's...completely the opposite of what we thought! Grovyle, you came back to our world to paralyze the plant...right?" Suzuki muttered.

"You have **got** to be joking. I was collecting the Time Gears... Because they were needed for preventing the planet's paqralysis. I needed to take them to Temporal Tower and put them in place. That would have reversed the collapse of Temporal Tower, which was fully under way in your time. While it is true that removing a Time Gear from a specific place causes time to stop in that area... That's only temporary. After the Time Gears are put into Temporal Tower... Time would have been fully restored to normal elsewhere."

Suzuki bit his lip before sighing, "All right. I believe you..."

"It was hard news to bear, but it is true. Dusknoir was an agent sent by Dusknoir to be rid of me."

"Is that really true?" Caee asked, big eyes looking up at Grovyle. She had taken care of her foot as he talked. Her face was much better. Not bloody or red anymore.

"That's right..." Grovyle nodded, "I have said that Primal Dialga...will try to thwart any attempt to alter the course of history. That's why, when he learned that I traveled through time... He sent Dusknoir after me. I know it might still be a bit hard for you to believe, I know..."

"I'm on your side, Grovyle." Caee muttered, placing a small paw on the larger Pokemon's knee.

"I'm with you as well." Suzuki said firmly, "If Caee trusts you. I do too."

"Good. Then we need to continue on. If we are to return to the past, we need to find Celebi."

"Celebi?"

"That's right. You can come or not. It is ultimately your choice."

"We alread said we were going with you, Grovyle! You can't get rid of us that easily!" They all headed off to the forest. They had to hurry.

~Meanwhile~

A growl reverberated from somewhere. Dusknoir bowed, back before his master, "Master Dialga. The stage has been set for the capture of the traitors. When the time comes... It may be necessary for us to beg your help, Master Dialga..."

Dialga growled heavily, eyes glowing.

"...As you wish. By your leave, we shall proceed."

~Back with Caee and the others~

They arrived at a forest and Caee had on odd feeling. She had been there before, but how? She had never been to the future before...

"Where are we?" Suzuki muttered, looking about the grey, frozen forest.

"This is Dusk Forest. Its name comes from the dark fog the perpetually shrouds it. Deep in this forest... We should find Celebi."

"Grovyle. Who is Celebi?" Caee questioned.

"Celebi is the legendary Time Travel Pokémon. She has the ability to cross time. But... Well, she's a little odd... But anyway...Celebi's ability enabled me to go to the past."

"So if we find Celebi, we can return to our world?"

"Yes, you can go back. But... Celebi is the Pokémon that sent me to the past. That means Celebi has lent her support in reshaping history."

"Wait... Are you saying Celebi's in trouble too?" Suzuki questioned, eyes wide.

"That's right. Primal Dialga is also targeting Celebi. So there's no time to waste. Let's go."

The group headed into the forest, never noticing they were being followed closely by a Sableye.

At the end of the woods, they reached a large clearing with the entrance to more woodland.

"Is this where Celebi is supposed to be?" Suzuki questioned.

Grovyle nodded, "That's right. It was around here that I met her the last time. But if Primal Dialga knows of this place... Celebi will have fled from here. If this place isn't known by our pursuers, however... Then Celebi should still be here." Grovyle turned from them and called out, "Hello? Celebi? It's me! Grovyle! Reveal yourself...if you're here!"

"What if she was captured?" Suzuki murmured after a long pause.

Silence fell for a moment before a giggling voice was heard, "Captured?"

"Did I just imagine a voice?"

"Tee-hee! You didn't imagine it! Me? Captured? How insulting! Captured?! Immpossible, that's for sure! Tee-hee!" Light sparkled into a ball until a pink Pokémon appeared, tiny fairy-like wings flapping as sparkles showered, "It's been to long, my dear Grovyle!" She said, turning big green eyes to the tall Pokémon.

"Yes. It has been a while, Celebi." Grovyle chuckled.

"Wait... Your Celebi? But I'd thought you would at least be a bit bigger then us. Your hardly bigger then Caee..." Suzuki sighed out.

Celebi pouted, "Yeah, but I'm probably as cute as you'd thought I'd be! Right?"

"R-right..." Suzuki smiled awkwardly while Grovyle and Caee sweat dropped.

"Celebi." Grovyle drew attention, "I need your help again."

"I know." Celebi said, rather bluntly at that, "Seeing you back here, my dear Grovyle, tells me everything I need to know. You're back because you failed in your mission i the past, yes?"

"Urk... Yes, it's true." Grovyle said, turning his head as his cheeks pinkened.

"I hope you manage this time. I've had quite enough of this. Living in this dark and dreary world is so depressing."

"Sorry, no time to chat... The Sableye are tracking us. If we don't leave soon, we'll have brought trouble to you." Grovyle sighed.

"Tee-hee! It's quite fine. There is no need to be worried. Let those Sableye come. They're of no concern to me. Besides, if you wish to be so kind as to prevent the planet's paralysis... We'll finally be spared the agony of this world of darkness. My dear Grovyle, I will devote my whole life to achieve that end!"

"All right... Where is the Passage of Time?"

"It's ready. It is nearby. The Passage of Time is on a plateau above this forest."

"That's good. Can you guide us?"

"Yes! Are all three of you taking the Passage of Time?"

"Yeah. That's right."

Celebi looked at Caee, "Oh?! What's...this? Your friend!"

Caee blinked, staring weirdly at the floating Pokémon while Grovyle stared at the two, confused, "...No... That can't be..."

"Is something the matter, Celebi?"

"No..." She shook her head, "It's nothing. Well then. Shall we? Off to the Passage of Time." And they went off, heading above the forest by going up a large hill. At the plateau, they ran into trouble. Dusknoir was there, and they were surrounded by the Sableye.

Though they were surounded, they still had a little hope, "Your scurrying carried you far, but sad to say... But that's all over now."

"Hmph. That's crafty, Dusknoir." Grovyle growled, "You allowed us to roam free, but you kept your eye on us the whole time... So you could capture Celebi as well as us."

"What?!" Suzuki muttered, eyes going wide.

"Hmph. I didn't see this coming. It's all my fault, Celebi."

"Oh? Apologies don't suit your style, my dear Grovyle. And do you honestly think I can be caught? Tee-hee."

"Everyone!" Grovyle said to them, "Are you ready to fight?!"

"Of course!" Suzuki said loudly.

"We're going to power our way through! We'll push them aside... Then dive into the Passage of Time!"

"Got it!"

Dusknoir smirked, "Ha! So you'll resist? Spare yourself the effort. You have no chance of succeeding."

Grovyle's eyes narrowed, "We won't know for sure...until we try! Dusknoir! You and me! Now!"

"Grovyle. Are you really such a fool to think I'd come alone?" Dusknoir chuckled.

Grovyle's eyes widened, "Wh-what?!"

"Now, Master Dialga!"

Caee and Suzuki shivered, staring up at the glowing beast in fear as he roared loudly.

"That... That's...!"

"Grovyle! What is it?! What is that?!" Suzuki said, fear seeping into him.

"That's...Primal...Dialga..." The group jumped in fright.

"What's wrong, Grovyle? Where's your bravado now?"

"Gah..."

"My dear Grovyle..."

"Urf... This...is it for us..."

The others stared at Grovyle in shock. He had just given up!

"Why?!"

"It's hopeless... Dusknoir on his own is one thing... But we don't stand a chance against Dialga. You two have kept up so well... I'm sorry to let you down. This is where it ends."

Caee felt like crying out in frustration. She had to come up with a plan!...

"I surrender, Dusknoir. Do with me...as you will."

"My d-d-dear Grovyle!" Celebi stuttered, shocked.

"What's the matter, Grovyle? It's not like you to give up so easily." Dusknoir practically cackled.

"Yes. I am giving up. But...hope is still alive. Celebi, you remember... The last time...when I traveled back in time to prevent the planet's paralysis... I wasn't alone. There was another."

Suzuki jumped, "What?!" Caee just stared up at Grovyle.

"I had a partner. We headed to the past together. But when we were going through the Passage of Time, we had trouble... We became seperated. My partner should still be back in the world of the past. Even if I am eliminated... My partner will see our mission through to the end. My partner will prevent the planet's paralysis."

Dusknoir was quiet before he began softly chuckling. Those chuckles became full blown dark laughs, "What's... What's so funny?!" Grovyle growled.

"Ha! So you claim someone went to the past with you... Incidentally, what's the name of your partner? Go on. Say the name."

"Why ask such a thing?"

"Can't tell me?"

"No, that's not true. My partner's name is Catherine. My best friend..."

"What!" Suzuki yelled, "But Caee's real name is Catherine!"

Grovyle whipped around, staring wide eyed and tense at Caee, "What?! You're...Catheine?...No...it can't be. It isn't... The Catherine I know isn't a Pokémon. The Catherine I know...is a human."

"What?" Caee whispered, tone disbelieving.

Dusknoir laughed darkly, "Precisely! My good fellow! Grovyle, that is unmistakably your friend Catherine!"

"What?!"

"The Pokémon you see was once a human!"

"Wh-what?!

"Master Dialga had given me a mission... It was to get rid of you, Grovyle, and Catherine. Because you fled to the past. I traveled through time in pursuit of you both. In the past, I gathered intelligence that might help me find you. At one point, I met Team NightLight. But at that point, I suspected nothing... Whe they mentioned the Dimensional Scream, I was skeptical at first... But then an idea began to take shape in my mind... And... So a former human... With no memories... A human that possessed the Dimensional Scream... I became convinced then! There was no doubt! This Catherine was the very one that I had been seeking!"

Dusknoir chuckled, "So that Catherine developed amnesia...and was transformed into a Pokémon...which must have been because of the accident during your time travel... Well, Catherine's memory loss was a lucky stroke for me! After all, your partner failed to recognize who I am. It was quite easy to win over your partner's trust. And it was also easy to drag them to the future when the time came!"

Caee looked down sadly, "Which left you, Grovyle...the last part of the job to finish. Grovyle and Catherine! With the both of you here... Everything will end when we finally dispose of you. That will finally put an end to Grovyle's glimmer of hope! Everything ends! Everything ends for you!" Dusknoir laughed loudly and darkly.

"Celebi!" Caee dragged the attention of their little group whild Dusknoir monologged, "Can your time travel ability transport us just the short distance into the Passage of Time?"

Celebi nodded, "It won't be easy with Dialga here! Dialga is the Temporal Pokémon... It controls time itself! Even if I can make us travel in time, he'll have no trouble exposing it!"

"It has to work, no matter the length of time! Do it now! Please!" Caee begged, tears in her eyes. Celebi nodded and they all vanished in a flash of white.

"They vanished?! Master Dialga!" Dialga roared and the group appeared again, right outside the portal.

"Go!" Celebi said as the Sableye and Dusknoir closed in, "Now! Don't worry about me! I can't be caught! Remember?"

Grovyle nodded, runing to the portal. As he ran, he seized Caee and Suzuki by the waists. Suzuki gasped in surprise, "Wahh!" Caee yelped as Grovyle lept into the portal. They fell through time, back to the past.

**(A/N The next chapter! I am really tired. I can't see straight! I am going to bed! I am running on tea at the moment... Not fun.)**


	17. A New Dawn

**Crash, Boom, KA-BOOM!**

"Talking"

'Random Emotion = Decieving'

_'Thinking'_

_Flashback_

_**Dream**_

_Narrator Talking _

_There's a messaqge from the Exploration Team Federation._

_Special Episode 'Here Comes Team Charm' has been unlocked._

Warmth bathed them as they woke. Waves slapped gently against the sand. Suzuki stired first. He released a soft moan as he opened his eyes and sat up. He looked around as Caee sat up, _'... This... This is...'_ Caee thought out.

"Are we... We are! We're back!" Suzuki said happily, smiling.

A groan sounded and the two turned to see Grovyle sitting up, or trying to. Caee and Suzuki went over to him to help him sit up, "Grovyle! We made it home!" Caee was bouncing in place, a grin in place.

"So we did it?" He questioned, "We made it through...back to this world?"

"Yes!" Suzuki said, still bouncing in joy, "This beach is where I met Caee." Suzuki glanced around a bit before going to a stone with a dark, dried brown stain on it, "It was here. Caee had hit her head on this stone and that probably caused her amnesia. As such, she was out cold."

"So that's what happened." Grovyle murmured, "The trip through time sent me into the Eastern Forest. And Catherine and I both reached your world far away from each other."

Suzuki jumped, "Oh yeah. Now that I think about it, I don't know anything about time travel. Would you be willing to explain it to Caee and I, Grovyle?" Suzuki asked, "But this isn't really the place to talk. I have a home, but we would have to go through town to get there." Suzuki informed.

"It shouldn't be a problem if we lay low and sneak through. Lead the way." Grovyle said and Suzuki headed off. Caee and Grovyle were close behind, though the two didn't really notice that Caee was limping, ever so slightly. She would have to clean and inspect her split open wound, and clean her face well.

After a few minutes, the three managed to get to a cliff. Caee had visited there once or twice, but she never mentioned it. The guild had always been asleep when she did it. The cliff had a gorgeous view of the sea and sky at night.

A warm breeze blew as Suzuki explained the area, "This cliff is know as Shardepo Bluff."

Grovyle was puzzled, "Sharpedo Bluff?" He questioned the younger Treecko.

"Yes." Suzuki confermed, "I think the name comes from the fact that the cliff itself is shaped like a Pokémon called Sharpedo."

Suzuki went to rummaging around a rock, "Aha!" He laughed, pushing a button. A **clunk** sounded and a bush lifted up, revealing a staircase. The three descended and Suzuki slapped another button causing the bush to fall into place again and some stone to slife over the staircase with another loud **clunk**.

"This is my home." Suzuki said, spreading his arms and turning around in the middle of the huge area. It was as big as the guild. The entry was well hidden and didn't need protecting. About seven beds were off to the side, well made too. There was sharp stone hiding the edge of the inner cliff from small fallers. Little clumps of soft soil had bushes growing from them, a variety of berries growing. The would be the source of the sweet smell from above.

There was a river and a ladder heading down into another room. It was big and empty, but if this plae were a guild, this room would make a fine place to have job boards and meetings. The upper floor was warm and soothing, despite it being fairly cold outside.

"I lived here before I joined the guild, but by the berry plants, you can tell I still come down here. It might be open but you can tell it's still dry." Grovyle and Caee barely heard him though. They were still a little shocked to the hidden home.

"I see... This is a hollow chamber in the face of the cliff." Grovyle muttered.

"Yeah, and no one's been down here, thankfully. It is as I left it." Suzuki murmured, "It would be best if we stayed here for the time being."

"Agreed." Grovyle said, glancing to the ocean.

The night, the three were all on a single, large bed, a fire before them, "But Catherine... I never expected you to be the very same Catherine..."

Caee remained silent, staring at the much taller Pokémon.

"Grovyle, can you tell us more about that?" Suzuki asked, eyes wide.

"Yes, Catherine and I... We were jointly investigating the plant's paralysis."

"A Pokémon and a human...paired together?" Suzuki murmured.

Grovyle nodded, expression seeming lost in memories, "Yeah... And Catherine had...or has... a special ability like no other. We relied on that special ability to investigate the planet's paralysis. It played a vital part."

"By special ability..." Suzuki paused for a moment, "You mean the Dimensional Scream, don't you?"

Grovyle nodded again, "Exactly. But the Dimenshional Scream has a drawback. The Dimensional Scream requires the presence of a trusted partner. Wothout that partner, the ability cannot be triggered."

Suzuki blinked, "A trusted...partner..."

"That's why we worked together." Grovyle muttered, staring into the licking tongues of the fire's flames, "The Dimensional Scream is set off by triggers tied to places where the Time Gears are hidden. We needed to find out where the Time Gears were in the past. We needed the Dimensional Scream to accomplish that."

"W-wait a second!" Grovyle stopped and blinked at Suzuki, silently telling him to continue, "You said there has to be a trusted partner for the Dimensional Scream to work. But the Dimensional Scream was trigged not long after we met!"

"Your point?" Grovyle asked, "Doesn't that show you how much you two trusted each other from the start?"

"Ugh... When you put it like that..." Suzuki flushed, though it went unseen in the shadows, "It's a little embarrassing..."

"In addition," Grovyle started again, "Catherine developed amnesia... Upon meeting you, Suzuki, your partner had someone to turn to. Perhaps Catherine grew to trust you very quickly because of that."

Both grass types jumped slightly when they felt a bit more weight fall on them. Caee had fallen asleep and was snuggled against the two of them, leading a a bright red Suzuki and a chuckling Grovyle, "Ahem..." Suzuki cleared his throat as his flush vanished, "There is another thing I don't understand. Is the Dimensional Scream triggered in response to only Time Gears?"

Grovyle nodded, "Yes. The opposite is also true. The Dimensional Scream is not triggered in places that aren't connected to Time Gears."

Suzuki hummed in thought, "Really? That's not how I remember it. Caee triggered the Dimensional Scream a few times and I know for certain that those times weren't related to Time Gears at all! It went off near a Drowzee, leading to us saving a younger childe, and again at Waterfall cave... I don't get it..."

Grovyle looked surprised, "Are you sure? But that never happened in the Dimensional Scream was never triggered by places that had no tie to Time Gears whatsoever... Well, if that's true, I don't know why it would work differently here." Grovyle just sighed, "Perhaps things are just different in this world. Perhaps the nature of the Dimensional Scream is altered in the past."

Suzuki nodded as Grovyle continued on, "Anyway... Like I was saying, we were investigating the planet's paralysis. We used the Dimensional Scream ability to identify the locations of the Time Gears in your world while we were in the future."

_"That's it! Here! A Time Gear is here!"_

_"I see! Place the Drought Stone in Groudon's heart. That lifts the fog! Very well done! Good job, partner!"_

"After identifying the locations where the Time Gears would be in the past... We took the Passage of Time." Grovyle said.

"Wait." Grovyle glanced at Suzuki, "What is the Passage of Time? We were never told."

Grovyle sighed, "The Passage of Time is what Celebi uses if she travels through several generations in time. For short bursts of time travel, she can go herself."

"Okay. Thanks, Grovyle." Suzuki said, adjusting Caee when her head nearly hit the ground from his shoulder.

Grovyle nodded, pulling Caee further up the bed so she could stretch out and not fall off, "As I was saying. The Passage of Time took us from the future to your world. However..."

_"Gah!..." Lightning flashed as the two fought to hold on, "Woah! Are you alright?!" Was barely shouted over the noise. Lightning flashed again as his grip loosened, "No! Don't let go! Just a little longer! Come on! Hang on!" Lightning flashed several more times, "C-! NOOO! NOOOO!" Everything went dark as soft words were heard to his ears only, "I'm sorry..." Lightning flashed once more as he landed harshly._

"We encountered turbulence while we were traveling through time... Thus Catherine and I were torn apart. For some reason, Catherine was turned into a Pokémon and given amnesia. I really don't believe knocking her head on a stone would give her amnesia." Grovyle glanced at Caee and chuckled as she snorted in her sleep, "She's knocked herself out to many times to count, always hitting her head. She was very clumsy as a human, but not so much as a Pokémon, huh..."

"Anyway, something probably happened while we were traveling through time that cuased her amnesia. Catherine may not remember it, but she was my closest friend." Grovyle sighed sadly and Suzuki could swear he saw a tear fall down Grovyle's face, "I worried terribly when we were seperated. I'm so glad to see her safe. Though her appearance has changed and her memory lost... She's still Catherine. Nothing alters the fact that she's my friend..." Grovyle sighed and Suzuki as certain he saw a tear, "Oh, Catherine... I'm so glad your safe..."

Grovyle coughed, "Now, Suzuki. You and I will decide our course of action and explain to Catherine in the morning. I've told you before, I have to collect the Time Gears again. And it is temporary. As soon as the gears are set into Temporal Tower, time flow will be restored. The first place I'd suggest is Treeshroud Forest. It may by the furthest, but it is the easiest gear to achieve. Now rest, we leave in the morning after preparing. Of course, I will be the one to take care of the wounds on your faces before we leave so the wounds won't get infected. Now sleep."

Suzuki nodded, yawning as he settled down, curling up with Caee whom snuggled into him. Grovyle smiled sadly but soon, he to, succumbed to sleep as well.

Some time before sunrise, Grovyle woke and saw Caee still sleeping, nuzzleing into his side. He sighed and grabbed a nearby pillow, having been kicked off the large, three person bed, and quickly placed it under Caee's head as he stood. He glanced around before he felt a cool breeze from the stairs and noticed Suzuki was missing.

He headed up the stairs and found Suzuki staring out into the ocean, "What's wrong?" Grovyle questioned, making the Treecko jump.

Suzuki glanced up at the taller Pokémon before looking towards the sea again, "Nothing... Just thinking. You're story much earlier... How much I've grown to care for Caee... Honestly, in the future, I was much more worried for Caee when I found out we were to be eliminated." Suzuki glanced towards the town and gasped, "Look! The sun's rising!"

Grovyle turned and the sunrise was beautiful. The sun tinted the the mountains in the distance gold and the plants red as it rose. Fluffy clouds grabbed the orange color from the sun as they floated past, "It's beautiful... Isn't it..."

Grovyle nodded, "Yes..."

"It looks better because we were in the future for so long without the sunrise. It may have only been a few days, but that's a long time without sun..." Suzuki murmured.

Grovyle nearly grinned stupidly, "All I'd ever known is the future's world of darkness. Upon coming to this world... And seeing the sun for the first time... It was staggering... Seeing it... It strengthened my resolve to turn history away from a future of darkness... There is one thing I wished to ask of you Suzuki." Grovyle said, turning his head to the Treecko, "It's about that time in the future...when we were confronted by Dialga... We were in a no-win situation. Without hope..."

Grovyle sighed, "How did Catherine know what to do? What compelled her?"

Suzuki smiled, "Caee is just like that. She once said something after a day of Sentry Duty I'll never forget."

_"Ne, Suzuki?" Suzuki turned to Caee and smiled. She was so cute! Suzuki froze and flushed under his scales and he shook his head._

_"Yeah?" He asked._

_"Um. Well. I just wanted to say, that if anything ever happens to me, you'll keep going? Never give up hope?"_

_"What! But... Caee?! Is there something you're not telling me?" Suzuki asked, a bit horrified._

_"Well. I did remember something. I was something I often said. Though I may die one day, it doesn't mean I'm gone forever. It just means I've gone away and I'll return one day. Meaning, even if I go away, never forget me. I'll always be in your heart, giving you courage to continue on!" Caee said, jumping..._

"Caee had this saying that no matter what, even if we are gone, our memories reside in our hearts, giving us courage to continue on with our lives..." Suzuki muttered.

"A saying? I remember. Catherine would quote it all the time if we had to split up back in the future. I still remember clearly..."

"Yeah. Here." Suzuki showed Grovyle his Relic Fragment, "This is my treasure. Caee helped me get it back shortly after we first met. I hope to one day solve it's mystery from whence it came..." Suzuki said, smiling, "Now, let's get back down and wake Caee. We should be leaving before the sun gets to high."

Grovyle looked to the sun and nodded. A while later, the three were off down the road. Grovyle had forbidden Caee from electrical moves not centered at her tail or the wound on her left cheek, right over the electrical pouch, would split again. That meant Caee could only use an inaccurate Thunder. Suzuki, however, had the whole right side of his face covered. While his eyes were uncovered, it still bothered him a bit. Caee had also been scolded heavily by Grovyle for not telling of the split open wound on the back of her right leg. This had resulted in the wound over her electrical pouch splitting open in a fight and getting a few scratches on her arms, but nothing that would scar.

After a while, the three arrived at the Treeshroud Forest and Grovyle looked around, "Something feels off. It wasn't like this before..."

"What do you think it could be?" Caee murmured.

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out!" Grovyle said as they headed into the forest. It was difficult to get through. Caee was forced to use Discharge three times when they walked into three different Monster Houses. By the end of the dungeon, Grovyle saw what made the forest different from last time. Time was still frozen, even with the Time Gear in place.

The Time Gear was a ting blue gear, no bigger then Caee's own paw, with dark blue etchings on it. Not fancy, but it was pretty. After snatching it, the three headed back to Suzuki's home to rest and deal with Caee's, once again, bleeding cheek. Grovyle was confused and concerned. Time was already stopping, and spreading everywhere.

Suzuki, when they got back, went to scout around town for rumors while Grovyle sat Caee down and cleaned her cheek again. He used water from nearby and cleaned the blood. The wound had gotten worse. It was blackened inside and Caee almost yelled from pain. Grovyle grabbed several berries to heal burns and a few Sitrus Berries. He mashed the hard berries together and mixed some water with them.

He used a lime green clip to hold back the ends of her longer, red stained fur. He quickly discarded older bandages over her other wound and noticed a few other wounds were split and bleeding and took some cloth bandages and soaked them in the mixture he made. When Suzuki returned, Caee had bandages on her legs, right forepaw, left arm, her nose, cheek, and the middle of her tail. She looked miserable though she smiled when Suzuki patted her thigh as he passed.

"Hey, Grovyle." The taller Pokémon looked up from where he was cleaning his claws of blood.

"Yes?" He questioned.

"I've got the news." Grovyle stood up and montioned for Suzuki to continue, "It's true. After we went to the future, the Time Gears were returned to their rightful places. Everyone thought things would go back to normal. But time remained stopped in those places. Even worse, it's spreading. Time is stopping in more places."

Grovyle growled, "This isn't good... Are you sure this is true?!" Grovyle wiped the last of the blood from his claws and walked closer to Suzuki.

"Yes. No one can figure out the problem so they're very concerned. It looks like you were right, Grovyle." Suzuki sighed, sitting down next to Caee.

Grovyle flinched and looked to the sea, a troubled expression on his face, "If time is stopping in a spreading area...it can only mean one thing." Grovyle looked to Caee and Suzuki, "Temporal Tower is starting to collapse."

"What!" Caee said, jumping to her feet and regretting it. She fell back to the bed, shaking a little. She wouldn't be walking for a few hours, "What do you mean Temporal Tower is collapsing?! I thought we had more time!"

"I thought so as well. Temporal Tower gives structure to time. So it collapsing is news I never wanted to hear. It seems like the problem has been accelerated somehow..." Grovyle gritted his teeth as he glanced towards the ocean again.

"This is bad... We have to hurry and gather the Time Gears!" Suzuki said aloud.

"Yes. If we don't, then we'll be to late to stop the planet from being paralyzed. We need to find Temporal Tower and put the Time Gears in place. That should stop it's collapse. Only, there is one problem..." Suzuki and Caee looked to Grovyle, "Temporal Tower is located in a place called the Hidden Land. As the name suggests, no one knows where the Hidden Land is."

"But..." Caee murmured, wincing as her talking moved her still open wound, "There isn't any time!"

Grovyle nodded, "Yes. That's why, for now... We should split up. I'll collect the Time Gears, and you two try and find the Hidden Land."

Suzuki nodded, "All right. Is this fine with you, Caee?"

Caee nodded and Grovyle grabbed his bag and started towards the exit, "Okay then. You're in charge, Catherine. The Hidden Land is supposedly somewhere in this world. Unfortunately, there are no closes as to where it is. Considering no one has discovered it yet. We can assume that it is quite far away. You might have to consider even crossing the sea."

Grovyle left and the grinding of stone and a **clunk** followed his exit. The duo left a few hours later when Caee could walk again and snuck through the town to the beach, staring out at the water.

Caee sighed and Suzuki spoke, "We don't have any idea how to cross the sea. It might have been possible if we were water types, but you're and electric type, and I'm a grass type. Not to mention, the salt in the water will iritate our wounds."

Caee mumbled as best she could without disturbing her wound, "This is hopeless."

Suzuki nodded, "Where do you suppose we should start looking..."

"It's true that we have almost no information to go on." Caee said, once again wincing in pain, "We have no time to waste either... If the Hidden Land is across the sea, how would we get there? We're not water types, as you pointed out... I still don't want to think about the world being paralyzed if we fail..."

Caee stiffened and her eyes widened. She whipped her head towards Suzuki, "Suzuki. We need help from the guild."

"What?! Why?!" Suzuki said, snapping his head to his partner, "They won't believe us!"

"Suzuki." Caee dead panned, "They will believe us. If you recall, they all saw us get pulled in by Dusknoir. And they would believe us."

"But..." Suzuki started.

"Suzuki! We'll go to them! We need their help!" Caee shouted, wincing as blood soaked her bandages slightly.

Suzuki backed down, eyes wide, "A-all right... We'll go..." And they ran off to the guild, climbing the stairs and taking deep breaths.

**(A/N Wow. It only took so long to get this chapter up because I finally shook off my artist block! I can draw again!)**


	18. Happy Valentine's Day!

_Today was a fantasic day._

_I was a day when boys recieve chocolates from girls._

_Grovyle, Suzuki and Toge were some very lucky Pokemon._

_Along with the rest of the Pokemon in the guild of course!_

Caee was a little odd as she hummed. She was before the stove in the kitchen. Celebi, Mary the Chimecho, and Sunny the Sunflora. They were giggling and smiling as they made their sweets. Caee was letting her's set. She had made three lolipops, all with different outsides and centers. There were two with green outsides and Grass Gummi centers surrounded by sweet chocolate. The last was white and blue with a dual core of White Gummi and Sky Gummi, also covered in chocolate.

Sunflora had made two boxes of chocolates, all with White Gummi centers. Chimecho had made chocolates for everyone, but the biggest was for the Guildmaster. Lastly was Celebi. She had made a single chocolate, though the Grass Gummi within hadn't been melted properly and was burnt to a crisp.

~Meawhile~

Grovyle was resting against a window, staring out. Suzuki and Toge glared at him, cheeks puffed up. They were jealous. They knew Caee was his old partner and they didn't want her giving chocolates to the handsome Pokemon any candies. The thing was, only four girls were in the entire guild, and Celebi was just a visiter.

Caee, Sunflora, and Chimecho were the only girls. Most of the apprentices knew of Chimecho's huge crush in the Guildmaster and knew she would make something for those without a girl whom was sweet on them. Loudred and Bidoof knew they would get something from their team leader, Sunflora. She did so every year.

What everyone wanted to know though, was who would recieve something from Caee. Would only one get something? Would her team get anything? Would she make something for the entire guild? Most of the males in the guild wanted something from the cute Pikachu.

"Everyone! Come to the kitchen!" Everyone's faces lit up. Most everyone recieved something from Chimecho, though once again, the Guildmaster was oblivious of her crush. Everyone held their breaths when Caee came into the room, three wrapped things in her paws. She walked up to Toge first.

"Toge. I want to thank you for being a good friend and for joining my teams as well. I may not know you as well as I'd like, but I made you something anyway." She handed a pop to the blushing Pokemon. He didn't have a crush on her, but it still made him blush.

She went up to Grovyle next, "I may not remember our time together, Grovyle, but I'm sure you were a great friend. I cared for you right from the start so, I made you something as well." She handed a smiling Grovyle a pop and he patted her head.

"Thank, Catherine... You were always a sweet girl." He muttered, expression soft. He looked frightened of whatever Celebi gave him though.

Lastly, Caee went up to Suzuki, "This is for you..." She muttered, holding out the last pop. The pop had a tag that read 'Be My Valentine' in small, slanted letters. Caee flushed a bright red, giving Suzuki a peck on the cheek before running off.

Suzuki, however, fainted, _'She's so cute~'_ Were his last thoughts.

**Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!**


End file.
